Revenge is a Dish best served as humble pie
by myIllusion
Summary: Rachel concocts a plan to dish a little humble pie to the elite of McKinley High. The final Chapter is up.
1. Dye Laughing

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_..._

_This fic is now finished. For those of you who are just now finding it, I wanted to give you an overview._

_Firstly: there is foul language at times. There are smutty sex scenes. There are dark and twisty turns._

_But, to balance all of that out, is lots of fluff, and romance, and humor, and fun. I hope you enjoy._

_..._

**Chapter I. Dye laughing.**

**(On the eve before the first day of school)**

**Red Hot Chili Peppers, Very Berry Blue and Pressed Lemon.**

"She started her run at 2 a.m. Garbed in jet black sweat pants and a matching hoodie, her dark hair was tucked into a knitted black beanie and her azalea sneakers were spray painted black. She did not want be seen at the mall buying black running shoes as she would never do that. But, she did want to be properly camouflaged so she sacrificed her favorite athletic shoes for the greater good of McKinley High.

The run left her slightly winded but she was able to cover the distance from her home to the school in just under 17 minutes. She suspected the adrenalin high she was on had something to do with the _over the top_ level of energy she still maintained. She had 43 minutes to accomplish her task, 17 for the return run with an additional 3 minutes to spare. She allotted herself a total of 80 minutes to be absent from her home to avoid the risk of being caught. One of her parents. She won't say which one. Was obsessive compulsive and had the need to check upon her frequently throughout each night. Crib deaths do not happen to teenagers!

Stealing the master key to the school had been remarkably easy. Figgins always left his keys in his top drawer. And, because she spent so much time in the principals office presenting petitions against the slushie dispenser in the cafeteria, and educational pamphlets on the humane treatment of animals, and notifications of law suits which would be enacted by the ACLU; he often slipped away in an effort to avoid her at all costs. His frequent absence gave her ample time to open the desk drawer and swipe his master key. She quickly made an impression of both sides using a block of quick dry clay. Later, she made a mold and had Peter cast the key for her.

The Master Plan was epic and would evolve in stages that spanned the entire school year. Most of her summer was spent researching; learning new skills and then applying what she absorbed to practical experiments. All the test runs had been done, every item on her list was checked and marked with the standard Gold Star. Rehearsals were finished and it was time for Act I, Scene I: Dye Laughing.

Humming, "_this is how you do it_" to herself she pulled the small step ladder out of the janitors closet and gently closed the door. Seeing the potential of the darkened empty hallway she glided into a pirouette, then a little side step shuffle - she gracefully dipped the ladder, as though it were her dancing partner and whispered, "are you thinking what I'm thinking? Red Hot Chili Peppers, Very Berry Blueberry and Pressed Lemon Drops!" She giggled with unfettered glee. Shoving the door to the Cheerios locker room open she headed for the showers.

**7:15 a.m., first day of school before first bell**

Rachel stood at her locker, peering inside and searching, completely absorbed in finding...what? Oh, that's right. Nothing. I'm not looking for anything I'm just pretending to. The waiting was making her a little crazier than her average. Which was, after all, really crazy to begin with. Even she knew that. She could not allow a change in her routine. She needed her top performance for this first Scene. No one could witness any strangeness in her behavior... or rather, notice her differently... um... no one should see her act less strange. Yes that was it. She needed to be crazy as ever and continue to annoy people so they wouldn't think she had anything at all to do with...

Hysterical shrieking could be heard from far far away. Like a distant siren calling, calling,... slowly getting closer and louder, approaching... warning...like lighting and thunder. Screech and Bang... smashing lockers, rumbling clouds of thick tension could be felt roiling through the halls; and huffing and snorting could be heard, and the pitter patter of delicate Cheerio feet trampling the whimpering ghosts of students past. Anyone alive had clearly fled. Except for Rachel who was still searching in her locker for that elusive... what? Oh yeah. That elusive nothing.

**"HEAR ME NOW LOSERS**... **when I find out who is responsible for... for...**_**for...**__**FOR THIS...I WILL PERSONALLY**_** light your FUNERAL PYRE.**

Quinn Fabray was pointing at herself. Unnecessarily. As if no one would look! Train wreck. You have to look.

Students who had fled the initial fiery onslaught had slowly crept back into the hallway (leaving a very wide girth of space) to glance side eyed at the trio of Cheerios. They were standing back to back to back. Forming a little triangle, hands on hips and glaring in every direction. Scanning the halls like terminators with glowing eyes. A Trio of gummy Cheerios. Red and Blue and Yellow. From head to toe, except for the uniform part.

Rachel was disappointed. She was certain her intel had told her that Quinn took the center shower. The three girls had their own showers separate from the rest of the squad and always insisted on showering first; claiming the hot water would only last so long and they would not take cold showers.

Quinn was all yellow. She was the Pressed Lemon. She had meant for Brittany to get the yellow. And... Santana was Very Berry Blueberry. Ha..he..hehehe... That was kind of funny even though she meant for Santana to get the Red Hot Chili Pepper. Caliente and all that. Besides, Santana was so related to Lucifer. But, darn. Poor Britt was as Red as Riding Hood and looking a little sad. Rachel felt kind of bad that Brittany had to get some Color. Of the three, Brittany had been the only one that had ever acted kindly toward her.

Rachel hadn't noticed that while analyzing the misfortunes of her bad intel she was the only person in the hallway that was openly staring at the Trio. Her mouth was hanging slightly open, her head was tilted curiously to the side and her big brown eyes were wide with fascination.

"What the hell are you gaping at Man Hands?" Santana snapped while striding over to the diva, huffing and puffing like a tiny, giant very berry blueberry (smurf).

Rachel snickered before she could stop herself. And then she started to laugh uncontrollably. She tried, she really tried to contain her mirth but it overcame her all at once and before she knew she was doubled over, holding her stomach and gasping for breath. The laughter was infectious, like a fast spreading virus and infected every student in the hall...except for three.

**TBC.**


	2. The Smell of Success

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Still a shorter chapter but I promise they will get longer. The next chapters will involve the entire cast and have a lot more dialogue. These first two chapters set up the dynamic between Rachel and Quinn and their perceptions of one another. This story is obviously a little AU. I will try to stick with the authenticity and personality of the characters if not the story line of the episodes. _

**Chapter II. The Smell of Success**

In all the years of harassment and degradation that Santana perpetrated upon Rachel she had never harmed her physically. Which was quite remarkable upon reflection; the feisty Latina had, on numerous occasions, assaulted other students that she tolerated a lot more than Rachel Berry.

Currently, the Very Berry Blue Santana Lopez was speaking in tongues while fighting the restraining arms of Quinn and Brittany in a mad attempt to strangle the tiny diva, who was just now coming down from the high of laughing herself into hyperventilating.

Rachel ended up on the floor, slumped against her locker gazing up into the golden, hazel eyed glare of Quinn Fabray. No one dared to look the Head Cheerio directly in the eye for fear of turning into stone. Like Medusa her gaze was laced with heady dark magic that could freeze the ignorant souls of unwary trespassers.

Rachel wasn't scared. She had never been afraid of Quinn. Disappointed by her on numerous occasions, hurt and humiliated countless times but never frightened by the mercurial girl.

Now that Quinn was all _Yellow, _the green that usually dominated her hazel orbs seemed lost within two golden pools. Little emerald specks were swimming and swirling wildly, intent on shattering the new restrictive boundary. The effect was so intense and new that Rachel almost turned away. Almost. Unlike the mass of spineless cowards at McKinley High she had always looked directly at Quinn.

Her fathers had taught her it was impolite not to make eye contact when another person was speaking to you. Even if, said person was insulting and abusive; Rachel never backed down. It had always been Quinn who shrugged and turned away from their encounters. After taunting her with disparaging nicknames or slinging slushies at Rachel, she would laugh overly loud - all the while trying to intimidate with the intensity of that Medusa like glare.

Rachel would cry sometimes. She really couldn't control that reaction her body had to the shock of ice cold corn syrup being slung in her face. It hurt. Also, most of the insults were inane but the intent behind them was malicious. That hurt too. The very idea that someone who really didn't know her was intent upon hurting her.

Why? Because she was different than most of the other teenagers in the school? Because she was talented? Because she had two dads? Because she was smart? Because she wouldn't flip the switch to "off" on her inner starshine ? All that hatred and cruelty because she would not humble herself and grovel so they could feel more comfortable?

But, even with a river of tears streaming down her cheeks, Rachel refused to look away from her tormentor. Quinn would shrug her shoulders indifferently, as if to say, "whatever" snort derisively and walk away. Rachel always felt a little triumph underneath the pain. Somehow, she always felt like she had won something and the Cheerio had lost.

Until now.

Quinn knew.

She grappled with Santana from behind, her Lemony arms encircled the girl across her chest trapping the flailing limbs and hands while Britt snugged her fuming girlfriend around the waist. Quinn was calm and certain, that golden unflinching gaze latched onto Rachel's doe eyed innocence. Like a wolf that had its prey by the throat and would never let go until it felt the last wavering heartbeat of the beast it clasped between its tireless jaws.

Whoa! Rachel suddenly felt a little nauseous. She had to stop imagining people as fluffy harmless animals in an effort to like them better. Quinn Fabray had just become a ruthless rabid wolf.

Rachel refused to look away, even if, for the first time ever; that stony glare had made her flinch. No. NO NOOOOO. Quinn Fabray was a bitch and deserved to be all _Yellow_. She did not feel guilty or less because she had done a little something to fight back. Surprisingly, Quinn hadn't mouthed an accusation yet, and even if she had; there wasn't any proof. Rachel had been meticulous and left no traces behind. She would continue with her plan.

The tiny diva stood up on wobbly feet as the first bell rang its warning. She straightened her favorite butterfly sweater, pulled up her knee highs and smoothed the creases of her plaid mini skirt. Pushing a lock of silky dark hair behind one ear she glanced back at the Trio of Cheerios and offered up a piece of advice.

"During extensive research on various subjects in an effort to round out my education at the request of my Dad and Daddy... they want to be certain that I am well prepared to meet the world with a depth and breath of knowledge that goes beyond the scope of preparation for my future stardom...-"

_**"BERRY!"**_ Santana screeched, she had seemed to regain her composure and was now only being held on either bicep respectively by Quinn and Brittany.

Rachel bobbed her head at the Latina, understanding she should make her point and make it fast, but found it somewhat fascinating that Santana's face looked more Purple now than Blue. She surmised it must be the flush of Red rage blending with the Blue pigment on her skin that combined together nicely to acquire that particular shade of Deep Violet.

" Ah... yes, as I was saying... I read that a vinegar rinse will help to strip away the effects of certain dyes."

And with that said, Rachel turned on the heel of her penny loafer and sauntered down the hall with a hop in her step. They didn't see the mischievous grin nor the devilish glint in her eyes as she hurried off to be on time for homeroom.

The three Cheerleaders were left behind to ponder what the tiny diva had said. Santana was wondering how many gallons of vinegar she would need to bully Puck into stealing for her.

Brittany wondered why Rachel had lied. She could always tell when someone was lying and especially now because Rachel never, ever lied. But she didn't know which part was the lie. The part about her Dad and Daddy wanting her to do something boring? Or the part about her perception scope? Or the part about stripping with Vinny Rinse? Who was Vinny Rinse?

Quinn didn't wonder about the truth of Rachel's words, nor did she consider a vinegar rinse. She wouldn't try to wash the dye off. As a matter of pride she would endure her just punishment. A punishment she thought was long overdue and rather tame considering the vileness of her own behavior toward that brilliant, beautiful and insufferable girl. Quinn also knew that vinegar was used as a final fix to brighten the color and hold the dye fast.

She snorted out a laugh and shook her head ruefully. Oh My God. Rachel Berry was a force of nature that had been nudged, and pushed, teased and bullied to the point of imminent destruction. That force had been unleashed and now the whole of McKinley high was going to suffer the consequences. Rachel never did anything half way. Whatever she put her focus on became an obsession that captured every ounce of the tiny diva's energy and attention. Whatever she was up to had only just begun and Quinn was certain it would be expertly choreographed and flawlessly performed.

**Essence of Skunk**

_Essence of Skunk_. Rachel laughed maniacally upon finding the perfect olfactory stimulator. Which, she discovered, could actually be purchased on ebay. After much deliberation as to which technique would be applied to which group of subjects, Rachel decided that a visual display would be much more appropriate and effective for the Cheerios. Whereas, the " _StinK Factor_ " would not only make the boys repulsive to the school as a whole, it would also interfere with their performance on the field.

The preparations for Act I, Scene II: " The Smell of Success" were almost complete. Wearing protective glasses and a nose plug she carefully injected the tiny self-dissolving bath beads with a syringe that was filled with Essence of Skunk. One bead, carefully placed between the padded inserts of each helmet should suffice. When the helmet was placed on the players head the bead would eventually hemorrhage during the course of the game, squirting the odorous liquid into the hair and scalp of the player. Just a few drops in each tiny bead would nearly incapacitate the football players with an olfactory overload.

She had been painstakingly careful in her preparation and application of the substance. The stinky stuff was incredibly strong and could do serious damage if wrongly applied. She tested her methods multiple times and had even dosed herself to get the full effect of what the targets would experience. Nothing long lasting or harmful would occur. At most, the boys would stink for a week and be humiliated, which is what she was aiming for. A little embarrassment and discomfort was something these bullies could endure. They had certainly dished out their share of humiliation during their careers as popular jocks.

Rachel had no doubt that each player she targeted would get the full dosage. The idiots were fond of slapping each others behinds and smashing their helmets in some sort of primitive cave man ritual before the start of each game. The mutual head bashing and helmet pounding would squish the tiny _fragrant _bead onto their heads. And, if that failed, the sweating from exertion would cause the bead to melt while they played upon the field. Rachel hoped the latter option would occur.

The very first football game of the season had the potential to become unforgettable - even legendary. The whole of the Cheerleading squad looked like poster children for gay pride. The handmade vegetable dyes she concocted were made to stain the skin as well as color the hair. Like a tattoo ink they would hold their saturation for quite some time. Eventually, in a month or so, after much scrubbing or bleaching the dye would fade as the skin cells replaced themselves naturally. During that month the Cheerios would, hopefully, reflect upon their narcissistic obsession with appearances and become a bit more humble.

Calling people disparaging names would be rather pointless when one looked like a giant bright Orange Carrot, or a juicy Purple Plum, or a Stick of Celery. She was quite fond of the Celery color. She had been trying to create Lime green but actually favored the rather muted sickly green that tinted the hair and skin of Stephanie Hanson.

Giggling with that final thought she packed up her stinky beads, stuffed them into her backpack and went over her checklist one last time. This evenings Op would begin at three a.m. because on Friday nights her Dad and Daddy stayed up late. Tomorrow would be a wonderful day. Game Day. Wandering dreamily out of her makeshift workshop, which she converted from an unused garden shed in her backyard, Rachel launched into an old favorite song of hers.

"_The sun will come out tomorrow... bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow... there'll be sun._"

_Tomorrow, tomorrow... I love ya tomorrow... _

_you're the perfect day for my Game..._"

**To Be Continued. **

_Thanks so much to those of you who left me a note of encouragement._

_Remember: interest in the story = reviews = faster updates. _


	3. Pandemonium

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_I'd really like to thank you all for the many wonderful reviews. Wow. I'm very flattered that you are enjoying this story. This chapter was difficult to write and I hope it doesn't disappoint. Humor, I am finding out, is difficult to maintain. In the next chapters I will be focusing on Rachel and Quinn a bit more while continuing to move Rachel's plan along. _

**Chapter III. Pandemonium **

"I heard that Coach Sylvester physically forced the girls who weren't among the first recipients of _"the rainbow shower."_ She dragged them kicking and screaming with the help of Becky and some of the girls who had already been...ah... _tinted_. She did allow them to select the color they wanted however."

"_She whaa?_...Ohh..._hell to the no!... _that woman is all kindsa certifiable!" Mercedes was shaking her head no, no, no, but the smirk upon her face was saying yes, yes, yes.

Kurt bobbed his head and tried to maintain a look of concern but his eyes were sparkling with undisguised mischief.

"Stephanie Hanson was complaining about it to that girl who looks like an eggplant. The Coach insisted each member of her squad would have, 'Equal Opportunities,' and since her three stars looked like they had been dipped in 'Pantone Primary's,... well then the rest of her squad would be the Secondary and Tertiary colors to balance out the rainbow.' "

"What I really want to know is why did Stephanie choose that putrid Celery tone? It really is a vaporous shade of green and I think the Plum would have suited her temperament much better. "

Kurt guffawed and kicked the heels of his boots into the air as he relayed this information to Mercedes. They were sitting side by side on the bleachers just in front of Rachel, who was eavesdropping on their _"he said, she said"_ scandal fest.

Mercedes chuckled, she and Kurt high fived one another before she unloaded the secrets she had wrested out of a very intimidated freshman Cheerio.

"Amy Carson told me that Coach Sylvester brought in some FBI or Secret Service guy and had him fingerprint the whole locker room and even her office. After that, he took off the shower heads and they found these little melty pouches clipped inside the pipes or something... they only blocked part of the pipe so when the water turned on it ran clear but the water pressure was all low like. You know how those girls can't chill for nothin'? So, in a hissy snit they cranked on the handles and forced the pressure to go way up."

She paused for a moment to let out a low throaty chortle and then continued.

"Now, you know what happened next," she elbowed Kurt in the ribs and cackled wickedly, "uh huh... all those melty pouches inside the pipes burst wide open, splashing all those pretty colors onto our Championship Cheerio team."

The two of them had their legs crossed tightly and were bent over their laps snorting and gasping. Rachel knew they were desperately trying not to pee their pants. She was having a similar problem every time she thought about the Cheerios. Even now, she could hardly keep it together when she glanced down at the sidelines.

That whole bottom row of the pyramid looked like spotted ponies. They must be the ones who tried to sponge it off with bleach. Not the brightest of ideas and their punishment for such was winning a spot on the bottom tier. The rest of the girls had rinsed with vinegar and their color was holding up very nicely, one could even call it vibrant.

Santana looked exotic. Almost like one of those cat like creatures from that Pandora planet in the movie Sam was always obsessing over. The vinegar had really drawn out the undertones in the blue hue of Santana's skin. Her thick dark hair had taken on a cartoon shine; she had it bundled together in tight braids and neatly held back with some kind of little gold circlet.

Brittany was wearing devil horns and carrying a Red pitchfork instead of her pom poms. She was tossing her makeshift trident high into the air, gracefully catching it again before twirling it like a baton - all the while shouting at the crowd to, " Fire-Up."

And then there was Quinn. Only Quinn Fabray could take a practical joke and turn it into a beauty contest that she, of course, would win. Exotic as Santana appeared she was still a frightening sight to behold. Brittany just looked insane, scaring the bejesus out of the whole front row of bleacher dwellers with that pitchfork...but she _was_ kind of a _hot _as a Ginger. And, she did seem to be having fun, which made Rachel feel a little better about Brittany getting caught in the crossfire of her secret warfare.

It appeared as though Quinn was the only Cheerio that hadn't tampered with the original dye application. She wasn't overly bright like the vinegar rinsers, or splotchy like the spotted ponies. That Lemon Yellow had softened into golden tones, she had applied a bronze tinted eye shadow, and accented it with a deep, rich brown eye liner. Her hair looked thick and tawny, it was somewhat teased and settled upon her nape and shoulders like a lustrous mane. Quinn was a golden lioness; regal and aloof and beautiful... untouchable.

UGH. I hate her. Rachel fumed. Well, it was apparent that Coach Sylvester took some steps to make it look as though the Cheerios _intended_ to be a colorful flock of mythical creatures. They were just the sideshow anyway. Delightful as they were to gaze upon Rachel couldn't wait for the main attraction to begin. She forced herself to look away and tap back in to the conversation Kurt and Mercedes were having.

"The NARC, or whatever, said whoever set the whole thing up was a 'Pro'." Mercedes used air quotes to emphasize the word. "He said, no way a student pulled this off because the whole operation was way to sophisticated for some high school punk to put together."

Kurt groaned into his hands dramatically, sighed deeply and sat up straight to explain his frustration. Mercedes face had a look of perplexity that made Rachel smile. Those two were so cute when they were completely engrossed in their little world of scandal and intrigue.

"You do know what this means don't you?"

Mercedes quirked an eyebrow at Kurt and shook her head from side to side, still confused by the upset he was showing.

"Sue Sylvester will be on a paranoid rampage. She will think this is some sort of huge conspiracy against her personally. She'll be badgering Figgins for funds to arrange a Super Duper Security Force to protect the Cheerios and her precious winning streak. The first thing Sue Sylvester does whenever her Cheerios need money is go after the Glee Club budget. We have to warn Mr. Schuester before she goes behind his back to Figgins."

Rachel allowed herself an inner smirk and an outer sigh of relief. Knowing that Kurt and Mercedes had such information meant the whole of the school would as well. If Sue Sylvester's private spy believed an outsider had color coded the Cheerios - that meant she would not pursue a heated search within the school. Maybe even Quinn would second guess her own suspicions. They hadn't spoken since that day in the hallway. Even then, they hadn't spoken and...-

The pep band suddenly drowned out her thoughts with the grating introduction to the school song. Everyone got up on their feet to sing along and cheer the team as they ran onto the field. Rachel felt a nudge at her elbow as Tina Cohen greeted her with a smile and slid into the empty spot next to her. Rachel returned the sweet girls smile with one that was equally genuine. Tina truly was one of the few people at school that Rachel felt an affinity for. She allowed that pleasant thought to settle deeper into her mind for a moment before she cleared her head to focus on the moment at hand.

She closed her eyes and counted down from ten. A symbolic countdown to usher in the start of the game and today's event. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two... one.

"_Let the Games begin_... _it's_..._SHOW TIME!" _She whispered quietly and allowed herself a secret smile. When she opened her eyes she glanced up to see that Tina was staring at her kind of strangely.

How does one describe what happened on that sunny afternoon? The sky was "Sky Blue" and not a cloud could be seen. The air was crisp and cool as it tended to be in late September. A gentle breeze had settled on the spectators. One could call it an "onshore breeze" if you thought of the football field as the sea and the bleachers as the shore. Therefore, any muffled sounds, or strange odors that might be present; would be swept from the field and into the crowded bleachers where the home team fans were seated.

Perfect.

The game was tied 7 to 7 at the end of the first quarter of play and Rachel was wearing a hole in the plank of bleacher beneath her foot. Nothing was happening! That was almost impossible. She had run multiple tests in varied climate controlled environments. Those stink beads should have imploded by now, or be well on the way to dissolving completely. She didn't understand. Were boys really _that disgusting _that they wouldn't even know if they stunk like a randy Skunk? Skunk to the power of ten by the dosage they were each getting.

The tension and anticipation were almost painful to the high strung little diva. She had a habit of tapping her foot and bouncing her knee when she became uncomfortable with tension. Not nervous, she never got stage fright or anything like that but sometimes she was uncomfortably... tense.

This did not go unnoticed by her fellow glee clubbers. She must remain calm...she must remain calm...she must remain calm... became her silent mantra. Almost like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz clicking her ruby slippers together and chanting "there's no place like home". Rachel closed her eyes and continued to focus on the inner calm, all the while her knee was bobbing wildly up and down. Tina was pulling on her arm and muttering something about her knee getting too close to Mercedes head. Thunk! Too late.

The lovely Ms. Jones whipped herself around in a move that had Tina frozen in utter amazement. Mercedes grabbed Rachel by her argyle sweater and jerked her within inches of face.

"_Girl_... you did _not_ just kick me in the back of my _head_...say it isn't so cos I'ma...-"

And then it started to happen.

"PEW...PeeEWWww..."

Brittany was the first to sound the alarm. She had been pacing up and down the sidelines like a Sentinel on guard duty with her picthfork. Dave Karofsky had just performed some type of headbash into the chest of a player on the opposing team. A red flag went flying because he did something wrong and was going to get a penalty. Both players were down on the ground a few feet away from where Britanny was standing.

"Peewww...eww, ick, pew, pew, pew, "... she was screeching and pointing at Dave who was crawling toward her on hands and knees. He had pulled his helmet off his head in an effort to get some fresh air and then the full blast of _fragrant_ aroma wafted into Brittany's air space.

She stabbed her trident scepter into the turf; it wobbled with the force of her displeasure. She pinched her nose and pointed her bright Red finger accusingly at Dave Karofsky.

"PEW... PEW pew, ...OH MY GOD... that is just so icky stinky... YOU SMELL REALLY, REALLY BAD David."

The player Karofsky tackled was crawling away in a hasty stupor. He too had ripped off his helmet and was trying to flee from the cloud of eye watering stink that was emanating from David Karofsky. The whole of the crowd was curious as to what had so upset the Red Devil Girl. But then the breeze picked up for a moment and sent the scent in a swirling swath encompassing the Western most portion of the crowd.

"PEW...pew...Gag, Ugh... erm... spit, erggg ,ick, whoa...,Gahh... Oh My God... pew, ...Pew,Pew, Pew...Christ what the fu...- "

The utterings of people suffering from olfactory overload could be heard throughout the stadium. The crowd became eerily silent, except for exclaimers of "PeW."

Coach Beiste was used to the spectacle her football team could make on any given game day but this was just too much. She was smart enough to understand that David, somehow suddenly STUNK. If the visual cues of the crowd parting like the red sea weren't enough to tell her something was wrong; all the "pewing" and gagging, and nose holding confirmed the fact that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

She grabbed a towel off the bench and snagged Will Schuester by the arm. He was loitering by the sidelines, in yet another sweater vest, waiting for an opportunity to talk to Finn. Why that man was always hounding the boy moron for one thing or another she didn't know, but she didn't want him distracting her already challenged quarterback during the first game of the season.

"Here Will, put this towel over your face and go escort Karofsky to the locker room for me... please? Try and find out what he got into to make him stink so bad that half the crowd is wilted."

Before Will could form a protest she was shoving him off toward the pathetic bully who had crumpled down on the field face first in surrender. She watched as Schuester helped the boy to his feet with one arm. He had the towel clasped tightly over his face with the other and ushered him off the field. A grateful crowd cheered as the two headed toward the locker room. The pep band played a dirge of lament.

The very frustrated Coach glanced up into the crowd and noticed that a quarter of the fans had fled the bleachers. Damn. Not a good way to start the first game of the season.

"Okay the show's over lets get back to the game." She shouted at the rest of her players and sent McClusky in to cover for Karofsky. The referee blew his whistle calling the players back onto the field.

Rachel and Tina decided to slide down and sit with Kurt and Mercedes. The four of them were talking all at once. Well, three of them were. Tina watched and listened. The Goth girl never said much but she was a keen observer and was starting have some suspicions about her seemingly sweet, though ruthlessly competitive, somewhat irritating diva friend.

"What just happened?" Kurt was so dumbstruck by what had befallen Karofsky that he couldn't summon up the _glee _he knew he should be feeling.

"Mercedes, I'm sooo sorry, I didn't mean for my knee to hit you... I have some pent up tension that I have to work out of my system and I often find that repetitive gestures and tics are a side effect of my somewhat high energy personality. Therefore, I was unaware...- "

Rachel was trying to act _normal _and not attract any attention by being overly joyful in her manner about _poor_ David's unfortunate misfortune.

"Girl, are you on _Crack? Dave Karofsky _just pissed his pants and stunk up the whole football field... you should be singing and dancing. That rotten bully finally got som..-"

"Pew. PeeewEWWW. Pew, Pew, Pew. "

I think Brittany is having a relapse from her earlier trauma." Kurt quipped as the four of them were distracted from their conversation. The Red Devil Girl was, once again, holding her nose and pointing accusingly with that Red finger.

It started when Finn Hudson said, "Hut...hut..huthut." The center tackle hiked the ball a little too hard, which cause the quarterback to bobble it like a hot potato. He finally dropped the wily ovoid and proceeded to chase it across the field. He kicked it twice before finally gathering up the nerve to dive on top of it.

A pile up of major proportions occurred. Most of the players on both teams dove into the heap in an effort to recover the slippery ball, which ended up rolling out of bounds and coming to a halt at Brittany's feet.

Rachel's stink beads finally imploded. It happened all at once, completely disabling the mound of football players, who appeared to be having a massive orgy. The whole of the cluster was suffering from "olfactory fatigue." As a group they were squirming and groaning and grunting. They were ripping off their helmets and wiggling out of their jerseys. If viewed from far far away, the spectacle could have been mistaken for a hatching of pod people.

A miasmic cloud of _Essence of Skunk_ permeated the pile of human teenage testosterone. It floated above and around and, eventually, the gentle wind swirled in and swept the noxious fumes into the rest of the stadium.

" Pew, Pew, PEW!"

The second quarter hadn't even been completed but the game was definitely over.

Sue Sylvester appeared like a dark angel wearing a black Adidas sweat suit and a gas mask. She was dragging a very long white hose. Pumping her fist in the air, which signaled the firemen in the truck down field to turn the water on, she took the hose to that pile of stinky boys.

The crowd fled in a massive exodus.

Pandemonium ensued.

**To Be Continued.**

_Thanks again to those of you who left me a note of encouragement!_


	4. Rachel's LAB ORATORY

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This chapter is a bit more serious. Rachel and Quinn finally have some of the interaction you've been waiting for. It is the first step in the kicking off of the Faberry part of this story. There is still lots of mayhem to be had but I needed to take the time to set some groundwork for the romance._

_Once again, thank you for the great reviews!_

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><p><strong>Chapter IV. Rachel's "LAB ORATORY"<strong>

**Rachel, Tina, Kurt and Mercedes**

The water didn't help at all.

The smell of wet Skunk is a thousand times worse than the smell of wet dog, or wet cat, or wet canary for that matter. If an animal stinks and you put water on it without actually bathing the creature, all it really does is accentuate the odious odor. Case in point: the wiggling, writhing, creatures on the football field below them, reeked to the nth degree and beyond. To the moon Alice.

"How did Sue Sylvester commandeer a fire engine?" Rachel was addressing no one in particular, but posed the question in a continued effort to be the same curious, somewhat annoying girl they all knew and generally tolerated. These three had become Rachel's haven of a sort. They still had bouts of impatience with her but for the most part she had been accepted into their ranks as a fellow gleek. The friendship with Kurt and Mercedes was still in its infancy, however, and she couldn't take the risk of being discovered by the dynamic duo of hearsay.

Mercedes and Kurt were pinching their noses tightly with one hand while furiously snapping photos with their I phones on the other. Mercedes tried to use her video application for about two minutes until she realized she couldn't hold her hand steady. Between laughing and laughing and laughing, and exclaiming Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God - the two of them were too preoccupied to pay attention to trivial, unimportant details.

"The firemen were here earlier today to inspect the whole facility. The locker rooms, the bleachers and the exits. They do it every year before the first game of the season and they always stay on to watch the game afterwards. "

Tina explained this rather calmly to Rachel while peering at her with narrowed eyes. She was also pinching her nose so the answer came out sort of high pitched, almost like she swallowed a balloon.

Rachel was doing what her three friends were doing. Pinching her nose. Which was really unnecessary because she used a nasal cream before the game. It killed her sense of smell temporarily, literally blocking odors from penetrating her nasal passage. She had already experienced the _Essence of Skunk_ during her test trials, which was only fair, but she wasn't about to suffer a repeat experience if she didn't have to.

She was having a difficult time keeping the grin off her face as she watched Finn writhe and squirm from the center of that pile of delirious boys. His impressive fumble and subsequent bumbling pursuit of the football would be watched again and again and again. The game would be the headline story for several days in this small community and, Rachel was certain, that cataclysmic play would be the lead video on the 10 o'clock news.

_" A mysterious phenomenon occurred at a local football game this afternoon. Watch now as McKinley quarterback Finn Hudson fumbles the snap from his center tackle, what happened next is astonishing and is, as of yet, unexplained. These images are disturbing to watch and may be inappropriate for children... " _

Rachel snorted out loud before covering her mouth to stifle the uprising of giggles that were about to escape. She turned away from the spectacle upon the field to regain her self control, only to find her gaze locked with that of Quinn Fabray.

Quinn was standing near the bottom of the bleachers with her arms folded across her chest and stabbing Rachel with that piercing glare.

A glare that said: I know it was you.

Rachel held her ground and returned Quinn's glare with equal potency. The golden Cheerio looked very perturbed but not wholly enraged as was expected. There was something about her expression that seemed appraising to Rachel, and strangely, almost approving. Quinn's features were lacking the practiced _HBIC_ sneer, which was somewhat confounding to the little diva.

"What's her problem now?" Tina was standing beside Rachel nodding her head in the direction of Quinn. Simultaneously, Coach Sylvester marched up to Quinn pulling the head Cheerios attention away from Rachel.

"Who's problem?" Rachel queried, turning her attention back to Tina.

"Quinn's" Tina shrugged. "The two of you looked as though you were about to whip out your wands and start throwing lightning bolts at one another. I guess that's status quo, but what could you have possibly done to her from way up here?"

"I'm breathing Tina, that's all it takes for Quinn to be mad at me."

Tina nodded sadly. She sighed and tried to comfort Rachel with her observations.

"She seemed so different after having Beth. Nicer, and even happy sometimes. I thought she was finally going to start acting like a decent human being, but as soon as she put that uniform back on... I don't know why she picked you Rachel, but you should know that she's the one with the problem... not you."

"I know...and thank you Tina." Rachel replied wistfully before smiling shyly at her one true friend. "Lets tear Mercedes and Kurt away from the carnival down below before they become a part of it. I'd really like to try that new Pizza place on Clover street. My Daddy said they have some Vegan choices on their menu."

Tina bobbed her head in agreement and grinned at Rachel's assessment of their wayward friends. They really did need to drag Kurt and Mercedes away before they hurt themselves laughing.

**Quinn**

At Coach Sylvester's request (order) the Cheerios were sent forth to guide the stunned and weary out of the stadium. The orgy like visual alone was traumatic for many spectators, but the groaning and writhing that was followed by various stages of disrobing - in what, to the people who witnessed the debacle, appeared to be a shocking display of wanton, deviant debauchery.

Once the odor wafted into the crowd,debilitating the unsuspecting fans, to a lesser degree than the actual targets of Rachel's latest prank; a semblance of understanding rippled through the spectators. All they wanted was to get out. Out and away from the repulsive, stinky, skunky, noxious fumes.

The masses wanted freedom. But the evacuation wasn't a scary, life threatening, mad dash to all the exits. It was more like a wandering zombie parade. There was definitely chaos and confusion but the overwhelming, eye watering stink had paralyzed the unsuspecting crowd - making their movements docile instead of hostile.

The Cheerios were charged to aid and escort the wandering wilted football fans. Get them into the fresh air of the parking lot. Once there, find out if they could function well enough to drive? The exit was guarded by the pitchfork carrying Red Devil Girl.

Brittany interviewed every driver to test their lucidity. She prepared three questions. 1) Who won the game? 2) Who lost the game?, and 3) was multiple choice: Who was your favorite Cheerio. a) The Blue Na'vi, b) The Yellow Lion or c) The Red Devil Girl?

She was very happy with the results of her poll. The Red Devil Girl had 63 more votes than the Yellow Lion. The Blue Na'vi didn't get many votes but only because she has a "potty mouth". Brittany assured the concerned parents that the Blue Na'vi's mouth would soon be having a date with a bar of soap.

No one got hurt. That was the most amazing part to Quinn. With all that had transpired, she found it unbelievable that the biggest concern of the day was how to remove the smell? Quinn knew someone who could answer that question and she decided it was time to pay that someone a visit.

**Rachel & Quinn**

Quinn stood outside Rachel's workshop with her mouth hanging open and her eyes bugging out as she read the warning signs that hung upon the door.

**RACHEL'S LAB ORATORY**

**KEEP OUT**

_**BOOBY TRAP ENGAGED**_

**Beware of the _ _ _ _ _ _! It will GET You!**

**Don't even try and guess... just know that - **_**It will GET YOu!**_

_**Uninvited guests are not guests. **_

**Trespass and DYE!**

Rachel really was insane. Brilliant, of course, but still completely loony. Coming here might just be a huge mistake but she was determined to talk to the little diva. Her intent had been to talk to Rachel on the first day of school, but then the "_Rainbow Shower_" happened and she got sidetracked by the hysteria that surrounded the Cheerios. Now, she was completely intimidated (and a little frightened) by the diva after witnessing the events at the football game. She realized that simply apologizing to Rachel would be far too little and way too late considering the extremes the diva had gone to this past week.

She had overheard Rachel talking to Tina about her "workshop" during Spanish class. Her Dad and Daddy had allowed her to have the little building because they never had time to work in their garden anymore. She had gone _on and on and on_ about what a great summer project converting the garden shed had been. Her Dad's even went so far as to sound proof the interior, so she could practice singing without disturbing the neighborhood.

But, Quinn wasn't buying that story now. She was fairly certain what she would find once she got inside the unassuming little shack. There would be notebooks full of detailed sketches and diabolical plans. There would be beakers and test tubes filled to the brim with toxic chemicals. There would be cupboards loaded with stinks and wicked colors.

After re-reading the ominous warning signs upon the door she noticed that one of them was slotted so you could change the message. She pushed the edge of the one that read _"BOOBY TRAP ENGAGED"_,it slid easily along the slats and underneath was another sign that read _"BOOBY TRAP DISABLED"_. Oh My God. Berry was seriously nuts. But it answered her question. There really was a _BOOBY TRAP _on the other side of that door. Why have two signs if the first was just a silly warning or a decoy? Oh no. Rachel was seriously telling unwanted trespassers: Beware, it's all your fault if you want to risk it.

Quinn glanced up to look around the framing of the door and spy along the edges of the roof. She inspected the shade trees that surrounded the building and everything seemed perfectly harmless. No buckets filled with paint or dye, or stink were ready to assail her when she opened the door. The door had a padlock but that wasn't a problem for Quinn. She could pick it easily with her hair pin. She had done so numerous times with the locks in her fathers garage.

**"Trespass and Dye !"**

Quinn had a moment of anxiety upon reading that last warning. She had just gotten used to the idea that she would be transitioning through the various gradations of Yellow for the next month, or however long it took for the stains on her skin to completely fade. But, walking through that door meant taking the risk of _re-saturation_. And, she was a little wary of the other colors. She was quite happy with the Yellow. If given the choice, like most of the freshmen Cheerios had been given, she still would have picked the Yellow.

Oh what the hell, Quinn decided to throw caution to the tempest. She pulled out her hairpin and got to work on the lock. She didn't want to be loitering in their back yard when Rachel or her fathers returned home. She wanted to be inside the diva's "LAB ORATORY", waiting.

That devious little sneak would have a surprise of her own when she came outside to gloat over her accomplishment. And, Quinn knew Rachel well enough to know that she _would _gloat. But she wouldn't want to dissemble in front of her Dad and Daddy. No, Rachel would come out here, where all her scheming occurred. And Quinn would be waiting for her.

Quinn was armed with a long handled leaf rake that she found propped against the fence. She was smart enough to not just waltz through the door after removing the padlock. Very carefully she twisted the knob, stepped back and leaned in with the rake, giving the door a powerful shove.

Click, Snick...WHOOSH.

Suddenly, Betty Boop was swinging wildly through the entrance on a length of a rope. Back and forth she swayed, her voluptuous bosom bouncing and bobbing each time she swung past the threshold of the door. Quinn stumbled backwards and away, more out of shock than fear. She was so grateful for the rake, and that she heeded the warning signs on the door. Betty Boop's boobs were filled with Black Dye.

The Booby Trap was, indeed, a 'Booby' trap. Two very big boob like balloons, filled to almost bursting with Jet Black Dye. They were positioned on the upper torso of a cardboard Betty Boop mannequin. If Quinn had been standing in the doorway when that contraption let loose she would have Black boobs too. Oh. My. God. Quinn thought, I don't know if I can handle this. A part of her wanted to run away and transfer schools immediately. Get far, far, away from Rachel Berry.

Lesser reason won her internal argument and she found herself attempting to clean up the mess that Betty's leaking bosom had spattered on the threshold of Rachel's secret workshop. Betty's balloon boobs took a bouncing on the door jamb and started to leak profusely. They didn't explode completely but were squirting the dye in every direction. As the mannequin lost its momentum it started to rotate randomly leaving a trail of evidence in every direction.

She found a pail near a spigot where the garden hose was coiled and filled it with water. The easiest way to deal with the mess would be to cut Betty down but Quinn didn't want to do that. This was Rachel's private space and she had already violated its sanctity. She would wait until Betty stopped squirting and go inside to find a rag.

Sigh.

Quinn had changed out of her Cheerio uniform into a pair of faded, well worn jeans and a sweatshirt before making the decision to pay Rachel a visit. Rachel's eyes had held a challenge in the way she glared at Quinn earlier. Almost as if she was daring Quinn to call her out.

Quinn knew Rachel knew she knew.

She and Rachel were always very good at "eye talk" because they could never seem to have a real conversation. But, somehow they managed to understand one another with hateful glares and squinty side eyed rejections. Quinn knew it was all her fault and she desperately wanted to fix it. But how?

Pulling her golden hair back into a ponytail and pushing up the sleeves of her chocolate colored sweatshirt, she dipped the sponge mop into the bucket of water and proceeded to clean up the evidence of her trespass. Rachel's LAB ORATORY was well equipped and organized. She found disposable latex gloves, all purpose liquid soap and the mop in a corner location labeled, "Cleaning Materials."

After mopping up as best she could she grabbed the rope that Betty was dangling from and looped it over a hook on the side of the wall. She wandered around the little workshop in a state of wonderment as she took in the depth of Rachel Berry's scheming.

Everything was labeled and color coded. There _were _beakers and test tubes and chemicals. The cupboards _were_ filled with many varied items that were organized strangely. The labels read like Acts and Scenes in a Play. She opened the cupboard that was labeled Act I, Scene I: Dye Laughing, and found Rachel's store of dyes. Act I, Scene II: The Smell of Success, held a football helmet from McKinley High, protective glasses, syringes, nose plugs, a bag of clear gel like beads, and lastly; a bottle that was triple bagged but she was still able to read the label. _ESSENCE OF SKUNK. _Wow!

Glancing more intensely at the labels she noticed the Play had three Acts, each with five Scenes. There were going to be fifteen episodes of Deviosity!

Quinn's back was to the entrance of the shed so she hadn't noticed the tiny figure standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"I see you managed to outsmart Betty Boop. I commend that accomplishment Quinn."

Quinn whipped around at the sound of the voice she knew so well.

Standing in the doorway was Rachel Berry. A vision. Truly. It was like the first time Quinn was actually seeing the girl. Her dark brown eyes, that always looked so deeply expressive, were sparkling. Sparkling like they always had. Sad, or happy, the richness held within those depths was always shining brightly. Rachel was wearing one of her signature outfits; a _short_ short skirt and an argyle sweater. Her hair was smooth and dark and silky. The sun was setting just behind and cast her in a glowing halo.

Quinn was mesmerized by the sight. Rachel was beautiful. Drop dead, jaw hanging gorgeous. She had always known that, why had she ever called her those awful names?

She didn't know what to say. Rachel was standing, waiting for her to respond. Waiting for Quinn to explain herself, her presence. It was the "eye talk " again. Rachel's eyes were saying: You are in really big trouble. However, I am somewhat amused that you had the tenacity to pick the lock and not get splatted by Betty Boop's Boobs.

Those full, delicious lips held an upward curl that was almost a smirk. No, that could not be a smirk. Rachel should be stomping her foot and shouting and storming out. Quinn must be under some sort of spell. Maybe Rachel pushed a secret button that triggered an invisible gas. Yes, that's it. That's what is wrong with everything right now. A gas. A gas that makes people suddenly fall in love with her. _WHAT! _I didn't just think that about Man H-. No. I won't call her that anymore and I won't think those horrible names anymore.

Rachel is amazing. I know that now. I've always known that. Rachel is amazing and I don't want to explain myself to her. I want to show her. Suddenly, without warning or forethought, Quinn was moving across the room in a startled daze. Is it possible for your body to move without giving it permission?

Her hands, of their own will, had clasped those tiny shoulders and her head was tilted curiously to the side. She licked her lips to moisten them. _Why did she do that?_ All at once she was bending slowly, ever so slowly, and gazing into two dark pools of liquidy confusion.

_What is going on?_ A tiny voice in Quinn's mind was urging her to pay attention. _ Do you know what, for fucks sake, you are doing?_ "Yes." She said out loud before pressing her lips onto heavenly softness.

Rachel's lips were so soft. So very very soft.

Quinn was kissing Rachel Berry. Quinn was kissing Rachel Berry. Quinn was kissing Rachel Berry.

And... she did not want to stop!

**To Be Continued.**

_Thanks again to those of you who left me a note of encouragement!_

_Remember: Interest = reviews=incentive for me to update faster_


	5. Let's Make A Deal

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

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><p><em>Thank you all so much for the great reviews and support. I hope you continue to enjoy the read.<em>

_This chapter is sort of a Roller Coaster Of Emotion. Very serious through most of the read but some lighter moments tossed in to wash it all down. _

**Chapter V. Let's Make A Deal**

**Rachel & Quinn**

Not returning the kiss was much more difficult than Rachel anticipated. She had a moment of clarity a split second before Quinn was moving in for the kill. At least that's what she thought was going to happen. Quinn had finally lost her mind and would murder Rachel in cold blood. Would it be quick? A stab to the heart with a hidden poniard. Or slow? Strangulation. Quinn would wrap her Lemony fingers around her neck and slowly squeeze - all the while watching with that golden Medusa glare. Watching Rachel gasp for air, limbs flailing, heartbeat wavering slowly, slowly fading until...

But then the strangest thing had happened. Quinn peered into her eyes with what could only be called tenderness, or love even, right before she captured Rachel's lips with her own. Quinn was kissing her. Quinn was kissing her and it felt good. Nice. Warm. Soft. Tingly. Electric. Intimate.

Too intimate.

She was just about to surrender to the seductive sensations when that part of her mind that scans for danger called a Red Alert. _Are you insane Rachel? Why are you letting her kiss you? She hates you. Push her the f*#k away already. _And that's what Rachel did. Well, she didn't actually push Quinn, she opted for stepping back. Easing away. Quinn had been very gentle so Rachel was going to give her the benefit of the doubt, until she found out what her motivation was. Quinn always had a motive.

"Quinn?"

Rachel was watching the startled Cheerio as she came back unto herself. When Rachel consciously decided to move away Quinn instinctively tightened the grip upon her shoulders, until she became aware that the little diva was pulling back. She dropped her hands to her side immediately. For a moment it looked as though she was going to pounce again, until their eyes met and Quinn accepted Rachel's oh so subtle head shake.

No.

She looked so vulnerable and lost that Rachel felt a tug at her heart. She had never seen this Quinn. The wall of ice was completely shattered and what was underneath was very compelling. If it was real. Her features were so open and relaxed and soft. Rachel always knew that Quinn was physically stunning. Beautiful. But that beauty had only been on the surface. Almost like an animated sculpture that was perfectly formed - aesthetically appealing but lacked emotional depth.

All at once Rachel could see the beauty inside the unflappable Cheerleader and was a little bit intrigued. Only a little because...well, this was Quinn. It would be like being intrigued with a Venus Flytrap. Attractive and alluring but deadly.

Quinn was staring at the floor, she gathered a loose strand of golden hair, tucked it behind her ear and exhaled a soft sigh before responding to Rachel's unasked question. Berry picked a fine time to suddenly become a minimalist with words.

"Rachel... I... um...I...I... don't know why I did that." She risked a peek at the diva, who was standing just a few feet away, her arms were folded across her chest and the expression she was wearing was a mix of frustration and...curiosity.

"I came over here to talk to you... and then I saw all those crazy signs on your door and I couldn't help but choose to ignore the warnings. And then... I ... ah, after Betty's boobs broke I started to feel bad about violating your private space. So... then I thought I should clean it up and try and put everything back the way it was."

Rachel still wasn't saying anything. She was just standing there, tapping her foot a little on the floor, and staring at Quinn as though she discovered a new strange insect specimen. Gahh... Quinn couldn't look into those eyes. They were more of a trap than a hundred Betty's. How had she ever resisted that before? Really looking at Rachel, holding the eye contact was akin to drowning in liquid dark chocolate of the finest quality.

She had always embraced her anger in the past. Pretending she was angry with Rachel made it so much easier to keep her feelings hidden. But, now that seemed impossible to do. Quinn was tired of fighting. Fighting the attraction was exhausting and didn't feel right or good or even sane. Especially after the kiss. Rachel hadn't even returned her kiss. She just stood there while Quinn did all the work, but it was still the most amazing kiss that Quinn had ever experienced. Discovering Rachel's mouth, tasting those deliciously full lips had been...-

"What about the kiss Quinn?"

Deciding to study the gold star pattern on the linoleum tile floor, in an attempt to regain some clarity, she nodded her head a little frantically before continuing.

"I don't know... I, uh, I just wanted to kiss you all of the sudden and then I was kissing you before my brain could keep up with what my body was doing."

Rachel's eyebrows were scrunched together very cutely. Quinn allowed herself a quick, surreptitious glance before returning to her inspection of the floor.

"And do you often, suddenly, feel like kissing people you have been harassing and stalking for over two years?"

"Stalking?, I have not been stalking you!" Quinn bristled.

Rachel quirked an eyebrow at her, as if to say..."uh huh? really?"

"Consider where you are currently standing Quinn and how you came to be standing there. I did not invite you to come over here. I would not invite you to come over here. And, yet, here you are behaving like a child who's been caught with her hand in the proverbial "cookie jar."

This wasn't going at all like Quinn wanted it to. Rachel was right of course. From her point of view, Quinn must seem a hundred times more unstable than Rachel had ever behaved.

"No... Rachel I never meant for any of this to happen. I came over here to see about how to get rid of the smell... Coach Sylvester was sort of in a rampage, she was getting ready to call the exterminator or something so I thought...-"

"_QUINN_, did you tell Sue Sylvester that I was responsible for what happened at the football game?"

Rachel's voice was laced with anger... and contained a tremor of fear as well. Maybe this was something she could work with.

"What if I did tell her?" Quinn sneered. "It's true isn't it? And now I've got the proof to back my words up. All your little crackpot schemes, so neatly labeled in your _LAB ORATORY_. Maybe I took some pictures with my cell phone? And maybe I'll just head on out of here now that I found out..."

_Wait. No. That wasn't what she wanted to say. Why was she talking to Rachel like this. This wasn't what she intended to do. She had come here to apologize to Rach...-_

_"_Ah...there she is. _The Head Bitch In Charge._ I wondered how long it would take for the ice to pile back up. For a moment Quinn, I thought I saw a girl with a heart. I'm very sad to have been mistaken." Rachel was shaking her head back and forth, a look of utter disappointment swept her features before she straightened her posture and repeated her question - her tone was tempered steel.

"Did you tell Sue Sylvester Quinn?"

"No." Sigh.

Quinn felt defeated. Stupid. Why couldn't she do anything right? All she wanted was to fix this mess with Rachel. The whole mess. The years of being mean and hateful. She lasted all of five minutes before turning right back into the monstrous bitch she knew she was.

"Quinn! Quinn, look at me." Quinn was so caught up in her self flagellation that she failed to recognize that Rachel was demanding her attention. That part would never change at least. Rachel was always demanding attention.

"I want you to look above the door, and over there above the shelf (she pointed with her tiny, very un-manly finger) and over there, by Betty."

"What am I looking at?" Her tone was surly and childish.

"Do you see the flowers?"

Quinn had noticed them earlier. They weren't real flowers but very detailed, lifelike replicas. She had wondered what they were constructed of at the time but was too busy trying to clean up the mess to give them a closer inspection. Now, she thought they were cleverly rendered with very thin layers of paper machet over a wire armature. They were painted brightly and shellacked with a semi-gloss clear coat. A Yellow Rose which included the stem and thorns. A White lily and some sort of exotic, Red tropical bloom she was unfamiliar with.

"Yes, they're very beautifully made." That was better, she didn't sound like a bitch or a spoiled child anymore. She would stay calm and turn this conversation back to its intended destination.

"Why, thank you Quinn. I am an eager student of the visual arts as well as musical, and theatrical. I find that working with my hands relieves a lot of built up unresolved tension. Whenever I have a significantly horrible day, I find myself covered in paint and plaster of paris, in the middle of making some oddity or another. I do sing, of course, while I'm working, which more often than not serves a dual purpose... -"

Quinn's gaze became fixed and bore the constipated look of someone trying to be polite. If they had been at school she would have said something like, "Can it RuPaul no one cares." Instead, she was making an effort to listen, however tedious a task - she was making an effort.

"But I digress...I meant for you to look more closely at the flowers. Look within the heart of the petals."

Quinn nodded and tried very hard not to roll her eyes. Rachel was in her element. Always wanting to build up the drama. She strolled over to the Tropical blossom because it was lower to her eye level than the other two. She was a bit hesitant to get too close. She had seen those gag flowers that squirt water in your face and wouldn't put it past Rachel to pull something like that. After Betty, anything was possible. Upon closer inspection she finally spied what Rachel wanted her to find. A hidden camera.

You have got to be kidding. She shouldn't be surprised by anything the girl would do but, once again, Quinn was completely dumbfounded. Three of them...not one, not two, but three hidden cameras; all linked together with a winding green vine, which was the camouflaged power supply.

"Is that all of them? These three in here?" Quinn asked, her voice was weak and sounded almost sickly.

Rachel shook her head no, before replying.

"There's another outside in the Maple tree. The knot on the lowest branch is hollowed out. It's the perfect angle to cover the door. That camera is on a timer because it runs on a battery, but while it's running it sends a direct, real time feed to my monitor. The other cameras are always on live feed because they're directly linked to my intranet."

Rachel continued to explain her techno-geek set-up and her voice had taken on a gloating tone.

It was a fortunate coincidence, for me, that the timing of your _felony_ break-in coincided with the Maple's schedule. I wouldn't have been able to see you _in action_, I'd have only caught glimpses of it from the Lily inside."

"I see." Quinn whispered. And she did see. Rachel had everything that Quinn had done on video. Everything.

"I enjoyed your whole performance immensely."

"I was watching the whole time, from upstairs in my bedroom. I must say Quinn you are much quicker than I gave you credit for. That little head fake you threw at Betty after she burst through the door seemed a little unnecessary, however." At this point Rachel decided to put on a mime of how Quinn looked during her struggle with Betty Boop. She was wearing a devilish grin and her eyes were filled with mirth. She totally over-exaggerated everything.

"**I did **_**not**_** look like that!" **Quinn shouted at the top of her lungs and Rachel broke out into wild laughter.

"And when you stumbled..." snort, hiccough, snort... Rachel was losing it now, her eyes were watering she was laughing so hard. "The look on your face was incredible, like _oh no oh no oh no_... you were actually flopping your arms at Betty to _get away_... like that would have mattered to a cardboard dummy?" Peals of laughter... "Oh God, snort, hiccough,"

Rachel finally had to turn away because Quinn was visibly enraged, which would only escalate her laughter further.

She was clenching her fists and her face was turning bright Orange. Probably, it was the flush of Red Rage blending with the Yellow pigment on Quinn's skin that combined together nicely to acquire that particular shade of _Tangerine_.

After Rachel stopped tormenting Quinn with the play by play of the video feed, and after Quinn decided she could suffer the humiliation because she needed to finish this conversation with the little (_psycho)_ diva; they seated themselves on stools at Rachel's work table. She poured them each a beaker of Apple juice from the tiny refrigerator in the corner of the room.

Rachel's dark, lustrous hair was somewhat tousled from her exuberance; she pushed it back with both hands, which only served to make it look more wild.

"Quinn, I suggest that you and I come to some sort of agreement."

Quinn took a sip of her apple juice but made sure to smell it carefully before deciding to give it a try. It looked an awful lot like pee, and she wasn't going to trust any thing that _little sneak _offered her without suspicion.

Rachel's big brown eyes were sparkling with delight as she watched Quinn sniff her beaker full of juice before deciding to timidly try a sip. Once the formalities of sharing a beverage were settled, Quinn replied to Rachel's statement. She arched an eyebrow at the diva, cleared her throat and softly asked her, "What did you have in mind?"

"I'll agree to keep the video of your trespass, breaking and entering and vandalizing of my property to myself for the time being. I'll also agree to keep the video of your uninvited invasion of my personal space, and my body, to myself. However, if I find that people suspect that I am behind the the foolery at school; than I will hold you responsible. I will submit the video of the break-in to the police and I will sell the video of "the kiss" to Jacob Ben Israel."

Oh. My. God. Fuck! What had she gotten herself into? Rachel was _diabolical_. Seriously, incontrovertibly, undeniably E V I L.

But, still very beautiful, and it was kind of _hot_ how she just sat there and calmly laid out to Quinn what her choices were. No one had dared so much with Quinn before. No one.

"Rachel, that is hardly fair. What if someone suspects you and I haven't told anybody. I can't control what other people find out on their own."

"Who said anything about being fair Quinn?" Rachel snapped. "I don't trust you. I have no reason to trust you. So, it would be in your best interest to quash any suspicions you might hear, or better yet - apply your intelligence and influence at school to misdirection. I will hold you responsible if the unfolding of my Play gets interrupted or delayed because of idle gossip or nefarious suspicion."

Quinn was shaking her head in disbelief, completely defeated by Rachel's tone and attitude. She hadn't meant any of it. She totally blew it with Rachel in every way. Breaking in to her lab, and then kissing her, and then threatening her with exposure. How else was Rachel supposed to respond? She was a lot more self-controlled, and civil about the whole incident than Quinn would have been. Quinn decided to swallow her pride, bite the bullet and just agree with Rachel.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes, okay already. I'll do what you said. I won't tell anyone and I'll make sure that no one could possibly think you are as sneaky, and mischievous, and frighteningly brilliant as I have come to learn."

"That seemed entirely too easy Quinn Fabray!" Rachel accused and stuck her bottom lip out in a pout.

Adorable.

_Gahh. Don't do that it makes me want to suck on that lip right now._ Quinn blinked her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Rachel, I know you don't trust me and I understand why. But all I can do is agree with your demands and do my best to keep the_ coast clear_ for you. If I fail, than I will only have myself to blame when you follow through on your threat...okay?"

The little diva bobbed her head uncertainly before softly agreeing with Quinn.

"Okay."

They sat for a moment without speaking. Staring at one another speculatively. Quinn was still a goner. It didn't matter that Rachel held her over a barrel and was, basically, blackmailing Quinn with those video's. Quinn's world was flipped upside down. She was looking into deep brown pools that she would gladly drown in. She was chilled and flushed at the same time just to be within a foot away from the most incomprehensible person she had ever encountered.

"You know what Rachel?"

"What Quinn?"

"I came over here today to tell you I was sorry. Sorry for everything, every awful name, every slushie facial, every pathetic attempt at making you miserable. I know that apologizing could never take away the damage or hurt I've caused. I don't think there is a way to be forgiven for the things I've done to you."

"But I wanted you to know. I intended to tell you on the first day of school, that I had changed over the summer. I was hoping we could maybe be friends. You offered it often enough and I was too childish and stubborn and stupid to see what you were offering me. I'm so sorry Rachel... so..so. sorry... "

Big glossy tears were pooled in the corner of Quinn's eyes. She didn't want to cry, she didn't feel she had the right to cry with all that she had done to hurt this beautiful girl.

"And then...the "Rainbow Shower" thing happened and I got caught up in the drama of the Cheerios and I didn't get a chance to talk to you. But I knew it was you. I could see it in your eyes... I thought it was funny, and clever... and so...so.. you... Rachel."

Rachel quietly listened to Quinn bleed out her apology. She didn't want to believe her. She didn't want to think that Quinn could be sincere or truly feel remorse. But sitting in front of her was the gentle, sensitive girl she had met earlier. The Quinn without the ice. A beautiful golden child who hurts, and sniffles, and all Rachel wanted to do was pull her into her arms and hold her.

But she doesn't. It's too soon for coddling Quinn. Maybe with time if Quinn could show her some consistency in her behavior. Maybe. But not now. Instead, she reached across the foot of space between them and very gently cupped Quinn's chin with her hand, forcing the weeping beauty to look her in the eye.

"Thank you Quinn. It's never too late to say you're sorry."

Rachel nodded and smiled shyly at the broken, golden child, who was desperately wiping the tears that had finally started to stream in crooked trails down her cheeks.

Sigh.

Sniffle.

_Some little time later..._

"You know what Rachel?"

"What Quinn ?"

"I really liked the kiss."

Rachel's quirked her eyebrows but did not respond - thinking that Quinn really had a knack for self sabotage.

Quinn pushed her bangs off of her forehead, sniffled again and rubbed at her streaky cheeks.

"I know that was _sooo_ not appropriate for me to kiss you. I kind of just got caught up in looking at you and was drawn to how beautiful you are...I...um... I'd been wanting to talk to you for so long and couldn't stop thinking about you Rachel. It, just happened. I'm sorry if it felt like I molested you...but, for myself - I'll never be sorry that I kissed you."

Rachel was looking at her strangely. Something was going on behind the the mask of confidence she had exhibited throughout this whole encounter. She was feeling something and not wanting Quinn to see. Rachel couldn't avoid the "eye talk" and her eyes were doing the Bambi thing. That soft, vulnerable, 'I'll melt you with the force of my adorableness and innocence' look that could only be qualified as magnetically irresistible.

The thing about that particular expression is - Rachel has no control over it. This particular brown eyed gaze, one that Quinn had seen countless times before, was only present when Rachel was deeply moved by something...or someone.

And,

Rachel was looking at Quinn.

**To Be Continued.**

_The next chapter will introduce the next Scene in Rachel's Play. Rachel and Quinn will continue to move through some of their issues but it will be a lot lighter than what you just read. _

_Thanks again to those of you who left me a note of encouragement. I hope you stick around to find out what happens. :)_

_Remember: Interest = reviews = faster updates_


	6. The Triptych

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

* * *

><p><em>Okay, so this chapter isn't really that humor filled - it's actually kind of dark in a place or two. Not disturbingly so. I'm developing Rachel's point of view and shedding a "little" light on where her campaign of mischief and mayhem may lead. <em>

_This chapter has several snippets that lead up to the third Scene of Rachel's Play. I also cover a little more ground in establishing the Faberry relationship. I've taken some liberties with minor character names that I could not find information on. Hope you all continue to follow along._

_Thanks again for the great reviews._

**Chapter VI. The Triptych**

**Monday morning Homeroom**

"I want you all to know that the profits from the sales of this product will go directly to the glee club. I would not take advantage of the misfortune of others to make a profit for myself. I feel as if I am doing a public service to the student body by providing an accessory that will benefit all parties. If those of us who have not been... ah... um... odorized... must share the physical space with those who have... well, then it's to everyone's benefit to wear one of these."

Rachel was pointing at her nose. It was pinched tightly together with a nose plug. She was also holding a rather large box, fully loaded with the tiny little "accessories," which were packaged nicely in translucent pink cellophane.

" I also want to point out tha...-"

"Save us the boring speech Berry, how much?"

Santana Lopez stomped up to Rachel and seemed to hover over the tiny diva and her box of helpful products. Rachel took a step back from the looming Blue Cheerio but refused to let the Latina intimidate her. She answered the question with a clear and steady, high pitched voice.

"$3.00 even. I was going to make the price $2.89 because market studies show that cust...-"

"Stuff it ManHands, I'll take 3."

Santana stuck her Berry Blue hand into Rachel's box and snagged herself 3 tiny pink packages. She dug into her pocket and dropped a ten dollar bill into the box.

"Keep the change, I don't want to have to listen to another word."

And with that said the Blue Cheerio ripped into one of the three tiny packets and hurriedly placed the gadget on her nose. She sighed deeply and appreciatively with immediate and sudden relief. She almost wanted to thank the dwarf for this small mercy but decided she hadn't forgiven the little smur.. ah, munchkin, for the fits of laughter she set off in the hallway last week, nor the vinegar rinse! Instead, she sneered at the little diva before taking her seat.

Every student in class lined up quickly to purchase their own nose plugging device.

Except for Puck and Finn.

They were seated in the back corner of the room with their heads on their desks, which were buried beneath their arms in humiliation. The tomato juice seemed to remove the sharp, eye watering bite of the smell but did not remove it completely. Instead, it lingered upon them like a deadly perfume. They had become immune to the smell by the end of the weekend. After countless immersions in tomato juice they had even convinced themselves they didn't really smell any more. Or, not as bad anyway. Until they wandered through the halls that morning and watched the horrified expressions crossing students faces, the quick retreats, the muttered "pews" and not so subtle gagging and nose pinching.

Puck was actually grateful that Rachel had come up with this "solution." He hoped she had enough of those nose thingy's because the whole of the student body was going to be wanting them by the end of the day. Nine of the football players had been "_Skunked_" during the football fiasco on Saturday. Most of them had returned to school under the same false delusions that they no longer smelled.

Finn was pissed. He knew Rachel's little "do goody" show was just an effort to get back at him. She was still mad at him for breaking up with her so she was going to take every opportunity to make him look stupid. Well... he would show her. He didn't care if people thought he stunk like a skunk. He was the star quarterback and he could get any girl he wanted. How did she even get so many nose plugs so fast? Huh? How did she?

The dopey boy was having a brain fart. A teeny, tiny light bulb brightened up the dimness in that abysmal space inside the boys skull. His squinty eyes were gleaming as he struggled to to understand what it might mean? But, before he could string the glittering, flittering thoughts together ...-

"My Daddy is a Doctor and very good friends with a distributor of medical supplies. He donated the nose plugs as a favor, but also as a means to test his product among a control group. He felt this incident at our school would provide a perfect environment to test the products viability on odors that break the barriers beyond the noxious levels on their scale. I have a survey for all of you who...-"

At that moment the bell rang and the whole of the class fled. Not a single student stopped to pick up a survey from Rachel, but every single one of them were wearing nose plugs. Except for Puck and Finn.

**Wednesday a.m. Before First Bell.**

Rachel felt this week was going splendidly. She made just under 1100 dollars from the sales of her "accessories", and Quinn was doing a fabulous job of honoring their agreement.

On Tuesday afternoon she happened to be in the waiting area outside Mr. Figgins office, armed with another petition against the Slushie dispenser in the cafeteria. Mrs. Bellpher, the secretary, instructed her to sit and wait on one of the chairs reserved for the regular trouble makers. Loud shouting could be heard behind the closed door.

Mr. Figgins excitable voice was quite recognizable.

_"Sue, you can not tell me how to allot funds in this school. The Board of Directors has made this decision already. And I am most certain they will not approve of your desire to deplete the glee club of their funds for a Cheerleading Security Detail! "_

Oh my God. Kurt had been absolutely correct. Sue Sylvester was trying to steal the glee clubs budget money.

_"You have finally lost it Sue, and stooped to an all time low. If I didn't know any better I would think it was you who was behind these malicious pranks. They_ reek _of your handiwork. Yes, the pun was intended. I bet you doused your own Cheerios with all those crazy colors just so you could set the "Skunk" stunt up. Well I'll tell you...-_

That was Mr. Schuester. He actually sounded somewhat cohesive with that particular argument. He had also made a very good point about Coach Sylvester. She did have a flair for the ridiculous on occasions. Not that Rachel qualified her "work" as ridiculous because her entire plan was so much more subversive than anything Sue Sylvester had ever attempted.

_"William. Get a grip on your helmet head full of twirly curls and hold on tight. Not everything is about your gaggle of singing misfits and pariahs. However, It has been brought to my attention that your singing Streisand smurf advised my Cheerios to rinse in vinegar. And, moments before delivering that useless piece of sage folklore tripe - that same little lawn ornament stirred the masses of indolent bottom feeders; almost as if she kicked a bee hive - she inspired a massive group, giggle festival in the corridors of these prestigious hallways. All at the expense of my Cheerios. _

_"And finally, William, close your mouth it disgustingly rivals the Grand Canyon, a view which will forevermore be tainted now that I have that gaping maw of yours etched onto my retina's for all eternity. Close your mouth I say. Finally, William. That long lashed, doe eyed, aria spewing munchkin sold over a thousand dollars worth of stink plugs yesterday. She claimed the profits would benefit the glee club. This was not a sanctioned fund raiser. I will have that money William. Or the Board of Directors will hear about your back alley, money grubbing, backstabbing, conniving little advice giving, laughter provoking singing muppet. You, William, and that mini, mini skirt wearing banshee, and your merry little band of tone deaf bumpkins are going down."_

Rachel wilted in her chair. Whoa. Sue Sylvester was a serious adversary. But then she heard another voice within the room. A softer voice but clear as a bell and confident_. _

_"Coach. Let me handle Rachel Berry. I would really love this opportunity to prove myself to you. To prove you made the right decision in putting me back on top of the pyramid. Then you can take the time you need to find the person responsible for these despicable pranks. I know I can convince_ _Berry of the wisdom of sharing the recent bounty she claimed for the glee club._ _I know I can_ _coerce her into apologizing for her inaccurate advice. If you let me, a peer_, _talk_ _to her I think it will have a_ _quelling_ _effect on her presumption and self importance_."

_"Quinn?" Mr. Schuesters voice was shaken. "What are you saying exactly? You aren't planning to hurt Rachel in any way are you? I know you two have always been at odds but it seems to me as though you just threatened to hurt a member of your own team."_

Oh God. Rachel thought. Mr. Schuester shut up please. Quinn is doing her job just let her. He was always trying to do the right thing at the wrong time. He never took Rachel's side or defended her when the Slushie's were flying in her face. Or, when the nicknames were shouted across the choir room at her. What a schmuck.

_"Q, I always knew I had spun Gold when I picked you for my Captain. I will count on you to manage the midget songstress. I'll want a full report by friday in my inbox. Typed. Double Spaced. Now go." _

It was then that Rachel decided she did not want to wait a moment longer to talk to Mr. Figgins. She scurried out of the office before Quinn could find out she had heard the entire conversation. Rachel would wait to see if Quinn would come to her with these developments. She hoped that what she heard the Cheerio say - was what Rachel had charged her to do. Create some misdirection. Squash any and all suspicion.

Several hours later Rachel received a fairly long text message. Quinn must have typed it out during glee and sent it to Rachel before her Cheerios practice. Rachel saved the lengthy text and was re- reading it, for the zillionth time, on Wednesday morning before her first class.

This was how it read.

**Coach Suspects U of being a brat.**

**maybe something more.**

**I told her I would put U in place.**

**She seemed to buy if for now.**

**Stop gloating so much.**

**nose plugs? Really?**

**Did you have to do that?**

**U r making my job very hard.**

**But I am going to prove to U that I have**

**changed. I've got your back but**

**U are going to have to keep a low profile.**

**stick out your** _**adorable**_ **bottom lip and look**

**chastised for a few days.**

**Flinch when I walk by.**

**Make it look like I traumatized you.**

**I hate that part. But I told coach I would.**

**Schue is a wet noodle.**

**Figgins is clueless.**

**I really want to talk to you again.**

**please say yes.**

**I** _**really**_ ... **like you R.**

**xoxo**

**Q.**

Rachel appreciated that Quinn spelled out most of the words. It gave her a headache to read the crazy shorthand version of words that usually assaulted her when she viewed a text message. Something stirred and shifted as Rachel read Quinn's words - getting hung up on two of the phrases. They sent a little thrill, a chill up her spine and she found herself smiling and flushed by the time she finished reading. Quinn said she was _adorable_. Well, not her specifically, but her bottom lip was _adorable_. And, Quinn also said. I _really_ like you. No one had ever said that to Rachel before. Except her Dad and Daddy of course. But, that didn't count because they had to like her.

Rachel was starting to think that she liked Quinn too. _Really_ liked her.

**"Friday Fifth Hour, After Lunch."**

In precisely 2 minutes, after the ringing of the second bell, which followed the lunch period - the completion of her first Triptych would occur. Rachel knew that word usually applied to a series of three paintings that were linked together by a theme, but she didn't have a problem breaking rules of verbiage that no one would pay attention to. Her live action "piece" was very creative and colorful and each Scene was definitely linked to the last. And, it was clear in her mind that the completion of the third Scene in Act I, would also complete the introduction to the Play. Therefore, linked as these three scenes were, she preferred to think of them as such: A Triptych.

The third Scene would make the tumblers settle and click into place like the final number in a combination lock. All at once a universal understanding would settle upon the members of the McKinley High School community.

Why?

Because everyone was still a little curious and confused. Many were amused and some were licking their 'proverbial' wounds. All were wondering who was pulling the practical jokes? Most were convinced, primarily because of Sue Sylvester's "Spy," that the jokester was an outsider. A competitor, hell bent on psyching out her Cheerios in a mad attempt at breaking their six year winning streak at National's.

After the completion of Act I, Scene III,: " No One Is Safe." Rachel was 98 percent certain that the question reverberating through the minds of each McKinley High dweller - be it a teacher, or student, or administrator would be thus:

"What the f#*k is going on?"

So, she patiently waited (_not_), in her front row seat of Spanish class, tapping her foot and bobbing her knee for Mr. Schuester to arrive - just a tad late, as was his specialty.

Quinn was sitting directly behind her, staring holes through the back of her head with laser like precision. Rachel could feel the tingly sensation and wondered if her brains would start to ooze before she could witness the impending folly.

The terms of their agreement were firmly established when they parted company on Saturday in the early evening.

_Rachel had wanted to hug Quinn after walking her to her car, which was parked two streets away from the Berry residence. But one glance into that golden hazel gaze was enough to make her falter. Quinn's intensity was like a swirling vortex that would suck her in at the slightest weakness in Rachel's resolve. Rachel wanted a gentle, friendly hug but Quinn was moving in for a kiss, a kiss that would devour and consume if Rachel allowed her another opportunity. No. No. No. Not now. Not Yet. Rachel firmly scolded her quivering body that was threatening a betrayal as she unconsciously swayed toward the beautiful golden Cheerio. _

_Neither girl would get their wish as Rachel stumbled back and offered the Cheerleader a trembling hand. Their clasped hands fit together seamlessly and sent a shiver through the tiny diva's body. Shaking Quinn's hand seemed awkward and fully unsatisfying after the minefield of emotions they had stumbled through together. However, unfulfilling as the handshake felt, the tiny diva reminded herself that this simple, symbolic form of sealing an agreement was the safest. For now._

_Rachel had to be the taskmaster and draw a line that could not be crossed. She would not succumb to Quinn's charms in one afternoon. The golden Cheerio had been incredibly sweet, once she refrained from threatening Rachel with exposure. But, only time would prove to Rachel if Quinn was truly capable of being sincere. _

And now she waited in Spanish class, with her newly acquired partner in subversion seated behind her making her restless and tense. Mr. Schue finally bumbled through the door, smiling ruefully and mumbled, "Hola." Most of the class echoed his sentiment before returning to their previous conversations. The gleeky Spanish teacher made himself ready for class by pushing around the papers in his brief case.

Thirty seconds later an unknown figure stepped into the room. Dressed in a black robe, wearing a knitted ski mask and carrying a giant, big gulp sized cup - filled to the brim with cherry flavored slushie. The figure glanced through the eye slots of the creepy mask, searching through the crowd of suddenly dumbstruck students - as though looking for someone specifically.

A moment of fear and doubt raced through Rachel's mind as the "figure" focused its attention upon her. _No. This was not what was supposed to happen._ She could hear a deep hiss and intake of breath from behind, indicating that Quinn would not be pleased with this potential outcome either. But then, ever so calmly, the "figure" turned on its heel and marched directly up to Mr. Schue.

Mr. Schue just stood there, immobile. Frozen like a statue as he always had. Always too late to respond, and too dense to do anything but gape and wonder at what could possibly happen next?

Rachel's only regret was that she hadn't rigged up camera's in every targeted room. She hadn't had the time nor the budget for such extravagance so she would have to settle with witnessing this one event. Later, she would gather up as much hearsay of the others as was possible.

Cherry was the perfect flavor as the bright Red color was the worst for stain removal. It also presented a grisly visual that was gory like blood when puddled on the floor and spattered across the walls. The victim looked wholly maimed in every capacity. Eyes bugging out of his head, mouth hanging open, his white button down shirt and bland Beige sweater vest were dripping globs of Bright Red Cherry Slushie. From the top of his pampered curls all the way down to his spiffy Penguin Oxfords, Mr Shuester was covered in Red Slushie gore.

_Lions and Tigers and Bears. On My._ Rachel was humming the chorus of the classic fear riddled number where Dorothy and her companions struggled to navigate the evil forest. _Lions and Tigers and Bears. Oh My. _She soothed the tension from her body as the the rest of the class erupted in various stages of shock, confusion, nervous and not so nervous laughter. And, from some - sympathy for their addle brained teacher. 'The Figure' fled the moment it had finished its task; dropping the empty cup onto the floor, bolting out the door, and speeding down the empty hallway post-haste.

Screams could be heard throughout the school. Mr. Schue was not a lone victim. Seven teachers, one cafeteria cook, the librarian, Mr. Figgins, Mrs. Bellpher, and lastly - but not leastly, Sue Sylvester. Each of these adults received a Slushie facial. The subsequent walk of shame that followed turned into a full blown riot that escalated in front of the Principals office. Students were left unattended in their classrooms but found the upheaval in the corridors irresistible. They gathered and watched with open fascination as their fearless leaders devolved into squabbling, finger pointing, hysterical brats.

Ms. Pillsbury tried to be the voice of reason in the midst of the melee. Standing a good distance from the center of the disturbance (at least a hundred feet), using her most reasonable calming tone she attempted to talk the crazy down by using a blow horn.

_Where did she get a blow horn?_ Rachel wondered as she and half of the student body gathered in that crowded hallway. Quinn was standing very near with her arms crossed and a very subtle smile playing upon her lips. She shook her head in utter bewilderment before she turned to look at Rachel - who refused to meet her glance. Quinn needed to learn some stealth. She was going to screw the whole thing up. Darn. She would pull her aside later and tell her a thing or two about not 'telegraphing' your thoughts for the whole world to see. Harumph!

But now, Rachel wanted to watch Ms. Pillsbury, who had dragged a chair out of a classroom and was standing on top of the seat to make her tiny presence seen.

The unwholesomely prim and pristine guidance counselor was very wary of getting too close to the group of Slushie coated McKinley staff. That frozen goo was impossible to clean up and getting pulled into the fray would surely disrupt her already very full, meticulous schedule of disinfecting her life.

"Mr. Figgins, Ms. Sylvester, Mr. Schuester. Stop this insanity right this moment. Think of the children! Think of Jacob Ben Israel with his video camera! Think of the floors! They will need to be mopped and sanitized..." Poor Ms. Pillsbury, her sad little reasonable tone was completely drowned in the midst of the ensuing chaos. School was cancelled for the remainder of the day and an emergency School Board meeting was scheduled for that evening.

Rachel walked herself home in lieu of calling her Daddy for a ride. She wanted some quiet moments to savor the success of this completion of her first Triptych. She didn't really enjoy watching Mr. Schuester get a Slushie facial. But the act itself was necessary. For him, and the other teachers and staff at McKinely who were subjected to the rite. Their _blind eyes_ would all be open now.

Rachel strolled along at a leisurely pace, glanced up at the clear blue sky and began to sing her little heart out.

_16 years and my life is still_

_Trying to get up that great big hill of hope_

_For a destination_

_I realized quickly when I knew I should_

_That the world was made up of this_

_Brotherhood of man_

_For whatever that means_

_And so I cry somethimes when I'm lying in bed_

_Just to get it all out what's in my head_

_And I'm, I am feeling a little peculiar_

_So I wake in the morning and I step outside_

_And I take deep breath and I get real high_

_And I scream from the top of my lungs_

_What's goin' on_

_And I say hey..._

_And I say hey what's goin' on_

_And I say hey..._

_I said hey what's goin' on_

_Oooh..._

_Oooh..._

_And I try, oh my God do I try_

_I try all the time_

_In this institution_

_And I pray, oh my God do I pray_

_I pray every single day_

_For a revolution_

_And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed_

_Just to get it all out what's in my head_

_And I'm, I am feeling a little peculiar_

_So I wake in the morning and I step outside_

_And I take deep breath and I get real high_

_And I scream from the top of my lungs_

_What's goin'on_

_And I say hey..._

_And I say hey what's goin' on_

_And I say hey..._

_I said hey what's goin' on_

_And I say hey..._

_And I say hey what's goin' on_

_And I say hey..._

_I said hey what's goin' on_

**To Be Continued.**

Lyrics to "What's Goin On", belong to 4 Non Blondes. No copyright infringement intended.

_Thanks again to those of you who left me a note of encouragement._

_remember: lack of interest in this story = lack of reviews = lack of interest in a speedy update :)_


	7. Rule 9

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

* * *

><p><em>Rachel is getting a break in this chapter. She has had an exhausting couple of weeks so I decided to give her a rest and let some of the others carry the ball in this chapter. This is one of those in between chapters where not very much happens but "things" get explained.<em>

_Hope you all continue to follow along._

**Chapter VII. Rule #9**

**Quinn, Santana, Brittany.**

"Look Quinn, I'm a Hubba Bubba."

Brittany squealed with delight, she twirled into a spin before grabbing Quinn and squeezing her so hard she started to cough.

"Air...Britt... need air..."

Quinn was pleading but also laughing as her tall and deceivingly strong friend finally released her from the hug of death.

"What exactly is a Hubba Bubba Britt?"

Santana slipped into Quinn's bedroom right behind Brittany but chose to let her girlfriend take the lead in greeting their friend. Brittany was what Santana referred to as a "Blurter". Meaning she might actually suffer emotionally if forced to refrain from immediately sharing the thoughts that hovered on the topmost layer of her brain.

"It's a piece of bubble gum."

Santana explained blandly, as though Brittany's greeting was exceptionally routine.

"And San is a Big Blue Popsicle."

Brittany, wearing a pink peasant blouse, shoved up the long sleeve and pointed at the skin on the inside of her forearm - it was decidedly Pink. 'Bubble Gum Pink.' She snuggled Santana from behind, yanked up the front of her black tee shirt and patted the trim tummy - which was decidedly, 'Popsicle Blue.'

Quinn didn't know if that was a real color but she knew what Brittany meant when she called Santana a Popsicle. Both of them had faded. They all had. It had been two weeks since the "_Rainbow Shower_" and for some reason today, Brittany took notice of their change in saturation.

"Alright then... uh...lets get on with this meeting."

Quinn really didn't want to hear Brittany's take on what type of edible treat she thought...

"You're a Big Banana!"

Quinn groaned and turned a shade of peach with the blush that was creeping all over her. All she could think of was how amusing this would be to Rachel.

Santana snickered and then started to chuckle.

"Nice try Q, you know Britt could never exclude you..."_Nanner_."

The chuckles turned into full blown laughter, which set Brittany off and it wasn't too long before all three girls were pointing and giggling, stumbling onto Quinn's bed to wrestle, tickle and smother one another with pillows.

"Bubba, Poppy and Nanner were the impromptu nicknames tossed at one another during this formal gathering of " Sogima." Santana's mother dubbed the inseparable trio, "The Three Amigos" at the six year celebration of Santana's birthday. There is something about a formal naming which imbues an entity with the power of understanding it has significance. I am. We are. It is. And so, the girls came to understand that the three of them together were, indeed, impressive.

In time they became the "Tribe of Sogima (soggy ma)" Of course the secret of the name was layered in the deepest of meanings. Not. They simply spelled the word 'Amigos' backwards. The use of 'Tribe' was inspired by Survivor but none of the girls would admit to that. They thought that having a "club" sounded dumb and childish, whereas being a member of a Tribe sounded wild and dangerous.

A list of rules developed over the years. Rule #1 was: No boys allowed. Quinn laughed with that current thought because she had recently come back to really appreciating that rule.

After several minutes of general goofiness they settled themselves comfortably on Quinn's bed. Brittany and Santana snuggled up near the headboard while Quinn sprawled across the foot propped up by her elbows.

"I'm invoking rule # 9."

Silence...

Santana's face was stricken with fear but Brittany tilted her ginger blonde head at Quinn while wearing an expression that could only be called _smug_.

"Please tell me you are not pregnant again." Santana begged and there was real pain mixed with a sadness and concern few people would ever see from the macha Latina.

"She's not!" Brittany declared confidently, she paused for a moment but couldn't possibly contain what she was thinking to herself.

"She's in _loooove... _right Quinn?" Brittany flashed her a knowing grin.

That exasperating, wretched, hunka Hubba Bubba! Quinn stewed. This is why she invoked rule # 9 before she said anything else. Brittany always knew on the deepest levels what was going on emotionally with people. She was truly gifted, greatly misunderstood and Quinn thought - grossly underestimated. But not by the people in this room.

Rule # 9 : No Questions asked, Never Tell, Never Judge, Never Turn Your Back, No Matter What. Unconditional Support.

In all of the years the girls had been together, from pre-school to the current date, Quinn had invoked Rule #9 only twice.

The second time was when she got pregnant.

The first time was to bully Santana and Brittany into helping her bully Rachel Berry.

Brittany nearly abandoned them because she knew what Quinn wanted was wrong and... bad. But her natural, intuitive gift of knowing what people felt made her understand that Quinn was scared. She was afraid of Rachel. People got mean, sometimes, when they were frightened if they didn't have anyone to show them a better way. And Quinn didn't, because her parents were mean and scared too.

Santana solved the problem for her sensitive girlfriend. She pulled Britt aside and encouraged her to be nice to Rachel on the sly - explaining that she would be mean enough for the both of them. And that was pretty much how it worked out. Quinn and Santana were really, really mean to Rachel while Brittany tagged along but didn't participate.

Brittany capitalized on every opportunity she was given to do something good or nice for Rachel. Most times Rachel wasn't aware that Brittany stepped in to ease the way for her. Not that Rachel ever had it easy, but there were many occasions when Brittany created diversions so the tiny diva could slip away unnoticed.

Finally. Yay. Finally, Quinn figured it out.

"Did you tell her Quinn? Does she hate you a lot still?" "Or..." Brittany batted her eyelashes at Quinn. "...have you been sharing the lady kisses? Is she going to let you help her with her game? School is so much more fun now since Rachel started playing the game. Do you think Rachel will let me help her? I would love to try another color when I'm done with this one. I _absolutely_ do not want to get _Skunked_. Maybe Rachel has a pretty smell she could use on the Cheerios to go with the pretty colors?..."

Santana patiently waited out Brittany's "blurt spurt", there seemed to be quite a few this time - each inspired by the one before. This had been pent up in Britt for quite some time so she decided to watch Quinn's face while Brittany's mind erupted through her mouth.

The golden Cheerio was simply astounded by Brittany's litany of perplexing questions, acute observations, and eager wishes for new colors and pretty smells - but not the bad ones.

Oh. My. God.

Finally, it all stopped. Brittany wound herself down while Santana sat beside her girlfriend gently stroking a well shaped thigh, wearing a terrifying grin.

"Wow...uh...Britt, I don't know how to answer half of what you just... whatever..."

"...I'm still invoking rule #9. I want you both to help me...um...what's the stupid word? You know, when you want someone to like you but you don't know how to make that happen? Especially since you've been torturing them for years and they don't trust you. But you really _like _them. And... uh... I want... I want..."

Santana interrupted her stuttering friend.

"Woo, Q.,... is the _stupid _word you are looking for. Are you saying you want us to help you _woo _Treasure Trail?"

"Don't call her that!" Was shouted by both of the blondes in the room.

"Alright then..." Santana smirked. "Lets start with that... no more nasty nicknames." She paused for a moment before continuing her line of thought.

"Although I am really pissed at the little dwar... uh... at Berry for the dye job. And the whole vinegar thing. And the laughing...and... and...that little smur..._snea_k, had the gall to sell us all nose plugs!" Santana snorted out loud before exclaiming. "Holy Fucking Wow!"

"She's kind of scarily, brilliantly, evil. Are you sure you want to go there with the midg...um, Berry, Q.? I mean, with a mind like that who knows what she could get up to in the sack?"

Santana guffawed wildly while Quinn throttled her with a pillow.

Brittany nodded sagely.

**School Board Meeting**

"It's abundantly clear after today's ah... um... event that it is time to get the police involved with an investigation." The School Board Chairman exclaimed with icy authority.

Mr. Harley Everson owner of the local Twin Flix Movie Theaters, several arcades and father to Mickey Everson - one of the nine football players who had been "_Skunked_" during the football game.

"My son was poisoned with Skunk venom, his girlfriend looks like she's been dipped in guacamole and now, the teachers, administrators and staff of this school have been assaulted with frozen corn syrup. The football game was cancelled before the end of the second quarter, school was closed for half a day and the cheer leading squad looks like they belong in a fruit of the loom commercial."

"What the hell is going on in this school Mr. Figgins?"

The flustered principal was still a little twitchy from the shock of having a Slushie facial. He kept peering over his shoulder and glancing side to side as though he expected that 'black robed figure' to appear at any moment for a repeat performance.

"Well...er... yes, that is something we have been trying to determine over the course of these past two weeks. Coach Sylvester brought in a private consultant, an investigative professional who believes an outsider is responsible for these practical jokes. Someone who is invested in the failure of our Championship Cheer leading Squad. "

The meeting was being held in the auditorium at the request of the two hundred parents who showed up at the hastily scheduled meeting. The board would have preferred a closed session but it was apparent that would never be tolerated by the mob of angry parents.

"_Really_? Everson snarked. " Please tell me how throwing corn syrup in the faces of half the teaching staff at this school has anything to do with Cheer leading? Or, how does stink bombing the entire football team equate to the sabotage of pyramids and pompoms?

I want the police involved. I want to catch this jokester and set an example. Neither the students nor the staff deserve to be viciously targeted within the halls of their own school. I want to get to the bottom of this insanity."

At that point a very tall distinguished black man stood up among the group of parents who were seated in the front of the auditorium. He cleared his throat, smoothed the soft cashmere of the cardigan sweater he was wearing and addressed the School Board Chairman.

" Hello. My name is Dr. Hiram Berry and I would like to make a comment in regard to your suggested police investigation. If you plan on moving forward with such, I would hope you will include the 146 Slushie assaults upon my daughter as part of this investigation. I know of six other parents in this room who also have children who have suffered similar assaults on school property. I have documentation of the dates, as well as photos of the damage done to my daughters clothes, including dry cleaning bills. I have seven separate reports of medical treatment from the Optometrist and one detailed documentation of severe damage to the cornea in Rachel's left eye."

The room was completely silent. Most of the board members couldn't look him in the eye and Mr. Everson was moving his jaw up and down as if he might say something but had forgotten how to make his vocal chords work.

"Ahem." Mr. Berry continued. "Rachel will be very angry with me if she finds out I attended this meeting. She believes that the harassment and abuse would only get worse if myself or my husband Leroy made a complaint. She takes two spare sets of clothes to school with her every day and sometimes that isn't even enough. I am simply asking ladies and gentlemen.

"Why?" "Why now? Are Mr. Figgins eyeballs more important than my daughters? Your son will stink for a week or two, but smelling bad won't render him blind Mr. Everson. Coach Sylvester's Cheerleaders were highlighted on the evening news last week. The reporter gushed over the trendy and fashionable pigmentation of their skin. I must say this emergency Board meeting was a bit of a surprise to me. But it has opened my eyes to the double standard by which the students here are treated."

"Mark my word Mr. Everson. If you open a police investigation you will investigate _all _of these assaults... or 'practical jokes' as you like to call them. I have a very good lawyer who works with the ACLU. This school will make national news if it doesn't make and effort to treat _all_ of the students with equal respect."

With those final words Mr. Berry nodded courteously to the board members, but just as he was about to take his seat...

Coach Beiste barged into the auditorium dragging, by their ear, two very reluctant young men. Azimo Adams of the football team and Jeremy Miller of the hockey team. Both of the boys were squirming under the firm fingers that had their earlobes pinched in a vice like grip.

"I've found your pransksters. Jeremy give the note to Mr. Figgins, she released the hockey player and shoved him at the table where Mr. Figgins was sitting with his mouth agape. He flinched as the surly boy stomped up to the table and slapped a wadded up piece of stationary onto the formica surface.

"These two and most of the hockey team were responsible for the Slushie attack today. I found them just now, in the old equipment room stuffing their black robes and ski masks into a trash bag... along with that note. They gave me the names of the other boys who participated."

Coach Beiste's face was flushed with rage as she turned to face Sue Sylvester.

"I hope you have a really good explanation Sue because I just don't understand. I've always thought you went a little too far with some of your motivational tactics but this? Sue this is just insane." She was shaking her head disapprovingly.

Coach Sylvester, wearing a bright Red Adidas track suit, was slouching in a chair on the side of the auditorium stage. Her expression was fixed with a sneer as she reflected upon Hiram Berrry's words. The midgets father was a formidable man. Not surprising, considering the moxie his pint sized prodigy seemed to have in reserves. This whole carnival side show was taking a journey into the twilight zone of no control. She would discover the yellow bellied, liverless, lowlife who dared to piss on every corner of her territory... and... huh? Why does everyone look like they haven't had a bowel movement for a week? And why are they looking at me?

"If you all need to relieve your bowels the facilities are down the hall and to the left, but please, spare me your eyebrow crunching, constipated, vapid expressions." She snarled.

"Sue Sylvester. You will explain yourself this instant."

Mr. Figgins was up and waving a crumpled piece of paper like a banner.

"Oh for the sake of insufferable stuffed shirts and pampered paper pushers what must I explain?" Sue marched over to the table and snatched the piece of paper from a very irate Mr. Figgins who had, unfortunately, begun to spittle as his self control evaporated.

"Next time, Figgins, remind your wife to pack you a bib. Had I known a wrinkled sheet of pressed pulp could reduce you to a drooling, inarticulate fool, I would have gotten you the special edition of "Origami for Dummy's" as your Secret Santa gift this year."

She placed the paper on the table, smoothed the creases, pulled her reading glasses out of her pocket, bent over the note and began to read.

This note was written on her personal stationary. The stationary she used for specific directives. Directives which Becky delivered on her behalf each morning. The ink was a rich, deep indigo that could only be found in her custom Dunhill fountain pen. The handwriting was distinctly hers, but the words... she did not write those words...

_Azimo. _

_Today's assignment will seem odd but_

_has been endorsed by Figgins. _

_Recruit the hockey team to help you -_

_they have weights during 5th period_

_and Miller owes me - he knows why._

_Prepare to leave from lunch ten minutes early._

_Proceed to the old equipment room _

_behind the gym. You will find a trash_

_bag with 12 black robes and 12 ski masks._

_Disguise yourself, the hockey players_

_and proceed with the usual duty._

_The Flavor of the Day is Cherry._

_Deliver the goods at 1:05 to the_

_following customers._

_Mr. Figgins_

_Mrs. Bellpher_

_Mr. Shuester_

_Mrs. Ekstrom_

_Mr. Davies_

_Mrs. Castle_

_Mrs. Betson_

_Mr. Thompson_

_Mr. St. Pierre _

_Mrs. Hovel_

_Mr. Gannon_

_Coach Sylvester_

_Seriously. You will do this._

_This is expected by each_

_and every staff member._

_This is a sanctioned experiment._

_Tell no one. Make sure Miller_

_explains this to his goons._

_Once the goods are delivered._

_Run._

_Return to the equipment room._

_Put the robes and masks back_

_in the bag. Go back to the _

_weight room._

Upon completing her perusal of the note that was penned in her concise handwriting, with her custom Dunhill pen, on her personal stationary - Sue Sylvester did the unexpected.

She fainted.

**To Be Continued**

_I know a lot of you are eager for the romance to kick off. I promise in the next chapter to move that along - especially now that Quinn will have some support._

_Thanks again to those of you who left me a note of encouragement._


	8. Wild Horses

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Thanks so much for the great reviews and continuing to support this story._

_This chapter contains some insights into Rachel's future strategy as well as the perception of her Dad and Daddy. And, I promised I would move the romance forward a bit, which I did... with some awkward moments._

_Hope you all continue to follow along._

**Chapter VIII. Wild Horses **

**Quinn, Santana, Brittany**

"Berry is going to be like a wild horse Quinn. Think of yourself as a cowgirl that has stumbled upon an injured, wild Mustang."

Quinn rolled her eyes at Santana.

"_Right_ - I am no Hildago, Santana and I'm positive that Rachel would be highly insulted that you just compared her to a horse. Even if she really loves animals...wait... I think I remember her talking about some reserve in South Dakota for wild horses. She was going to sign a petition for some sort of land grant... what was it?"

"Quinn!" Santana was squeezing Quinn's big toe, really hard.

"Owww!"

"Shut up and listen to me Q. And stop kicking me. Now, as I was saying. Berry doesn't trust you and she doesn't have a reason to. But, if we go with my analogy - you have her sort of trapped and injured and she has to rely on you to keep her safe. She needs you to keep her secret and she needs you to make diversions for her. So, just shut up and listen to what I have to say."

"Horse trainers start out real slow. They don't just throw a saddle on a horse that's never been ridden because it's too strange, too foreign - they can't relate to having something on their back because they never have before. The same goes for horses that have been mistreated. The handlers start with slow movements, always slow...no quick gestures, and they talk a lot. They keep their voice low and speak in a rhythm - a cadence. Something that repeats itself like a gentle soothing, hypnotic pattern."

"Each time you approach her Quinn you must be consistent. No big gestures, no sudden movements, don't raise your voice. Say, 'Hello Rachel. How is your day going?'... Each and every time. Add a new question after that but always start with the same greeting - and smile every time."

"After the handler gets the horse used to her presence, she'll introduce something that has her smell on it; like a blanket. She might drape the blanket over the rail of the stall the horse is occupying. The horse will recognize the smell as something that belongs to that gentle voice. That gentle non threatening voice.

Trust, Quinn. You are going to build trust. Not just by doing what Rachel is asking you to do. She knows that you _have to _because she has those videos. Trust cannot be built on blackmail. You have to show her that who you are now is not that same mean girl who used to snipe at her. Who threw Slushies at her and called her names. She has to see you differently. And she has to see you behave differently, consistently... she has to see a new pattern of behavior so she can let go of the old one she remembers."

Quinn was nodding, and kind of mesmerized by what Santana was saying. Who knew? Santana was a big sappy, ridiculous, undeniably cute, "Berry Whisperer."

"After the blanket the handler will try a gentle touch. Very slowly, while the wild mare is calm, maybe feeding, she'll reach out and rub her muzzle. Just once, maybe twice if she doesn't flinch or pull away. The next day she'll do it again. And the next, until the mare is used to the gentle touches and knows them. Eventually the handler will stroke her mane, or a shoulder. That too, must be slow, calm movements... gentle strokes, barely there touches. Always talking at the same time. "Hi girl, how are you today, you sure have pretty hair, your muzzle is so soft."

"San!" Brittany couldn't contain herself. She really wanted to let Santana tell Quinn about the wild horses but she had to make sure that Quinn knew.

"San, Rachel will not like it if Quinn tells her, her nose is soft! Rachel is very sensitive about her nose. Don't bring up her nose at all Quinn."

Quinn started to giggle. She couldn't believe they were sitting here, seriously discussing how to tame a _Wild_ 'Rachel Berry.' Santana smirked at Quinn's amusement and explained to Brittany that the last bit she mentioned was really about the horse - not Rachel.

"Oh."

"Finally Q, after several weeks of talking and gentle touches and maybe some sweet treats, like apples or sugar cubes, or carrots. The handler will try and drape that blanket on the mares back. The blanket with the scent she has gotten so used too. A scent that belongs to the gentle touches, and the soft words. The blanket is going to be draped over her whole back. On both sides, almost like a hug Quinn. But she'll be ready for that hug, because everything the handler has done to lead up to the hug has been consistent and kind and gentle. It's just one more step to gaining trust Quinn. A gentle hug."

"Do you understand what I'm getting at Q.?"

Quinn nodded. She got it. Rachel wasn't a horse but the way that Santana described this whole process made her go back and think about how crazy she really was when she planted that kiss on Rachel. No wonder Rachel was so confused by Quinn. That kiss must have seemed so bizarre, especially in contrast to the overt threat that Quinn had muttered seconds later. UGH.

"Consistency Quinn. If you can take it slow and be sincere, there is no reason why Rachel won't give you a chance. She loves all that romance crap. Be nice, smooth talk, bring her flowers, sing her a song in glee, walk her to class. And touch her. But little touches to start. Graze her shoulder gently when walking by, touch her elbow briefly to get her attention when talking to her. Get her used to you touching her gently without invading her personal space. Woo her like the horse handler woo's the wild Mustang."

"You know what comes after the blanket Quinn?" Santana drawled that last question out with an evil smirk.

"Nuh uh."

"The saddle... and with the saddle comes the _Wild Ride_."

Santana chortled and Brittany giggled happily.

"eee haww... ride er cowgirl."

Oh. My. God.

**Saturday afternoon, (one day after the School Board Meeting)**

**Hiram, Leroy, Rachel**

"DADDY! (stomp) Why would you do that? (stomp) I've made it perfectly clear that I want to fight my own battles at school without interference. (stomp) You promised me you would let me handle things myself!" (stomp)

Exit stage left: storm out to the kitchen. Slamming refrigerator door. (stomp)

"Harumph." Could be heard loudly from the wings.

Hiram and Leroy Berry sat on the sofa in their living room, grinning at one another, while patiently waiting for there darling little baby girl to finish her tantrum so they could continue with their family meeting.

SWOOSH...

A dramatic re-entry from stage left. Though she wasn't wearing one, it appeared as if the haughty little diva flipped her billowing cape behind her back before planting her hands on her hips to face her unrepentant Daddy.

"Why did you go to that meeting Daddy? And why did you say the those things? Every student at school will know what you said. I was already their biggest target..."

Rachel's words tapered off and tears were leaking in streaks down her cheeks. Her rich brown eyes were filled with pain and betrayal and confusion.

Hiram couldn't stand to see his child so broken because of something he did. He hadn't intended to tell her any of what happened at the Board meeting. However, he suspected she would find out, as he had seen Tina Cohen-Chang's mother at the meeting as well.

"Rachel honey, will you please sit down so I can explain myself."

Her chin was trembling and her bottom lip protruded - precursors of the potential breakdown that was on the near horizon. Their high strung daughter often had explosive episodes but she rarely completely lost herself in hysterical bouts of sobbing. However, this was one of the times where all the warning signs were leading up to such an event.

Rachel's Dad, Leroy, stood up from the sofa and gently guided her to sit between himself and Hiram. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at her lap, refusing to look either of them in the eye; knowing this was very rude behavior that went against everything they had ever taught her about being respectful of other people.

Hiram reached over, cupping her chin to force her to look at him.

"Rachel. I did what I did to keep them from starting a police investigation. If they start a police investigation I fear greatly what they may discover. That is, if they have a decent investigator. "

Rachel's eyes grew very wide with a sudden understanding. But, she wasn't about to show her hand to either of her parents until she was certain of what was just implied.

"But Tina told me you threatened them. She said you said they had to investigate all the Slushie attacks at the school or you would sue them with a big lawyer from the ACLU."

"I did say something like that honey, but I knew by saying what I did, that they would never follow through with bringing the police in - at least not in an official capacity. Because they would be opening themselves up to some very serious, criminally negligent matters, as well as civil law suits. All of them. The Board of Directors, the administration, some of the teachers, and especially that Coach Sylvester.

It's apparent by the note that Coach Sylvester has been ordering some of the Slushie attacks on students for years. Not just the recent attack on the teachers. The fact that those boys followed the instructions, even if Sylvester claims the note is a forgery, proves that she had been ordering them on previous Slushie attacks. 'The usual duty' And, 'The flavor of the day,' were key phrases that imply those boys had received many such notes with similar instructions. The only difference in this last note was the list of so called 'customers,' and the disguises of course. No, that Sue Sylvester is in really big trouble and the Board of Education will want to keep the police as far away from these events as possible.

The administration, and many of the teachers have been turning a blind eye - allowing not only one of their own staff members, but also the bullies and popular kids to assault and harass a certain portion of the student population with impunity."

"When that asshole Evers...-"

"Daddy! Hiram!" Were shouted simultaneously by Rachel and Leroy. Both of them were sensitive to vulgar language.

"Ahem...as I was saying. When that _ASSHOLE _Everson demanded to get the police involved I really didn't want that to happen. I knew if I highlighted the multiple attacks upon you and other students - assaults they never bothered to investigate before; they would be forced to reveal the ugly truth about the double standard in the school. The public at large and the media would eat them alive. That is something they would never risk. "

Rachel nodded her head slightly at Hiram's reasoning. She looked up at him and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. She glanced at her Dad, Leroy and he smiled at her an winked. Back and forth she looked between them, considering the strange expressions they were wearing. A mix between amusement, bewilderment and... pride? Were they proud of her? She had to ask one more question of her Daddy before she was certain she understood what was going on.

"Daddy, why don't you want the police to investigate what's happening at the school? All of it? I mean, you've always wanted them to before. Why not now?"

"Erm... because I don't want them to catch _whomever _it is who has decided to dish out a little payback to that group of brainless, cowardly bullies. No one has been hurt. The school is actually gaining some interesting notoriety and attention since this all happened. And, you said it yourself the other day sweetheart. Those bullies are so busy looking over their shoulders they don't have time to pick on you or the other students anymore."

"Oh."

Rachel gulped. She wasn't certain how to respond to that statement. She was pretty sure her Daddy just admitted that he knew Rachel was behind the pranks. She was also certain that he didn't want her to admit that because then he would feel obligated to make her stop. She also realized that he must have known about this for a little while, because he went to that Board Meeting to intentionally clear the path for her.

She wouldn't be up against any official authorities because the Board had decided against getting the police involved. Her only obstacles in completing her _Play_ would be the current administration, staff and student body. They hadn't deterred her thus far - in fact, they were quite easy to maneuver around. She didn't foresee a problem. Rachel was suddenly very happy with her Daddy. And her Dad. They both knew and they both approved... well... sort of...they hadn't told her to stop!

"Rachel." This time it was her Dad that was speaking very softly to her. He was tiny like she was and had those same deep, dark eyes that were so expressive. Sometimes Rachel felt outplayed by her Dad because he had the ability to guilt trip immensely with just one sad gaze from those big puppy dog eyes.

"You do understand of course, that your Daddy and I don't condone violence of any sort?"

Rachel nodded.

"And we hope that _whomever _is behind the pranks at school will refrain from the further use of Slushie's as a means to exact chastisement." Leroy arched an eyebrow at his daughter.

Rachel nodded.

"Besides" Hiram chimed in. "The _Color Coding_ and _Aroma Therapy_ are so much more interesting. I can't wait to find out what will happen next." He grinned mischievously and rubbed his hands together.

Rachel gaped at her Daddy's eager enjoyment of her secret (or not so secret anymore) foray in to the world of impromptu performance art. Rachel decided to play along for the sake of making it clear they all were on the same page.

"I'm guessing that _whomever _is behind the silly pranks is going to lay low for awhile. I bet they will let the dust settle, let everyone get back to feeling comfortable. Probably, those same students - you know the bullies ?"

Both her Dad and Daddy nodded. They were following along, intensely interested in her speculative theories.

"Well, the worst of the bullies will get to a point where they think it's all over and go back to behaving just as horribly as they did before."

"Then, and I'm only guessing, mind you - that _whomever_ is responsible for the silly jokes, will have to step up and give them a little reminder of what it's like to be a little different... and you know... that it's okay to be a little different."

Leroy shook his head in amazement and Hiram giggled out loud. Rachel jumped in her Dad's lap and gave him a huge hug and kiss before doing the same with her Daddy.

They all had tears in their eyes. As crazy as the whole charade seemed - it would work for now. Hiram and Leroy had never seen their daughter as happy as she had been since the beginning of this school year.

Hiram understood now that her joy had come from her ability to fight for herself in a language those students would understand. Words could never work with certain types of people. But actions certainly had. She made them look in the mirror and literally, as well as figuratively, reflect upon themselves in a way they never would have.

She came flying through the door on that first day of school giggling and laughing and squealing with joy - describing in great detail how Santana Lopez was as Blue as Vanity Smurf and Quinn Fabray was a Big Pressed Lemon. He didn't really understand what a pressed lemon was but had enjoyed his daughters exhuber...-

At that very moment the doorbell rang pulling Hiram out of his reverie. He got up to answer the door only to find the Big Pressed Lemon standing nervously in front of him. She was holding a bouquet of yellow roses in one hand and reaching out to shake his hand with the other.

"Hello Mr. Berry, um... my name is...-"

"Quinn Fabray. Yes, I know who you are, I haven't missed a single performance of the glee club Quinn. I know who all of Rachel's teammates are." Hiram reached out to shake her hand, which was distinctly more of a pale Banana color than the bright Lemon that Rachel had described. Hiram shrugged to himself and surmised that her color had faded.

"It's good to meet you sir. Ah... might I ask if Rachel is home sir, I'd like to speak with her if she is willing?"

Hiram Berry was impressed with this young woman's manners if not her reputation, so, he would give her the benefit of the doubt until Rachel told him otherwise. At that moment Rachel inched up behind her father. She had heard a familiar voice and was trying to sneak a peek to verify her suspicions. After hearing the incredibly polite request Rachel stepped around the towering form of her Daddy to greet her uninvited guest.

"Quinn?"

"hh..Hi Rachel... I...I... was wondering if ww..we could talk about something... um, some stuff. If you aren't busy that is? And, oh... I uh...I brought you these."

Poor Quinn, she was trying so hard to keep in mind the goofy advice that Santana had given her. She was trying to keep her voice gentle and steady and calm and not make any jerky or sudden movements at Rachel to put her off. Instead, she came off sounding like a stuttering fool and moving like a dysfunctional automaton. Ugh.

She slowly raised the bouquet of yellow roses , offering them to Rachel with an awkward smile.

The warmth of the sparkling grin she received was totally worth the effort of making an ass of herself.

**Rachel and Quinn**

A half an hour later Quinn found herself seated at the desk in Rachel's bedroom inspecting the three live feeds from the cameras in Rachel's Lab Oratory. Rachel was in her bathroom filling a vase with water for her flowers. Apparently, the 'Maple's' camera was in a down time, as Quinn couldn't see a view from outside the little garden shed.

Rachel had a laptop for school but a much fancier desktop computer for her work at home. When they entered the little diva's bedroom she sauntered over to the desk and clicked the sleeping monitor to life. She made a series of very fast keyboard commands, which brought the split screen camera views to life inside her idle workshop. Quinn shook her head in silent amazement as she took in the decor of her, hopefully, soon to be girlfriends room. Patience Quinn. _'You must not rush the Wild Berry.'_ Santana's words were echoing in her mind.

Rachel's room was as curious and intriguing as the girl herself. Everything had it's place and reason for existing in the universe the tiny diva created. For some reason Quinn believed she would enter a domain loaded with broadway kitsch and memorabilia, the walls would be covered in pink, and accented by garish gold stars. The shelves and Rachel's bed would be overflowing with stuffed animals from the endangered species list. She couldn't have been more wrong.

The room was elegant, tasteful...serene. There _were_ signed show posters on the wall and a smaller collection of photographs of gorgeous natural landscapes. Next to those _were _photos of _endangered species_ - each was neatly labeled with the pertinent statistics of locale and current survival numbers, as well as the scientific and common names of each animal.

There _was_ pink, but it did not dominate the colors which were mainly light tans and rich warm yellows. Everything was arranged to guide the eye around the room slowly. The spaces between the framed photos and show posters were just enough to give you time to focus on one thing, and actually see it, before moving on to the next piece of art. There were collections of cd's, and dvd's, and books all arranged on tidy shelves by category of interest.

Rachel's bed was queen sized and covered with a mostly white handmade quilt. The centerpiece on the quilt was an appliqued gold star. Quinn smiled at the sight. She knew things about Rachel but had only allowed a caricature of the diva to exist in her mind until recently. The things she thought she knew about the talented singer were pieces of the truth, but had been twisted by Quinn's own narrow, small minded pettiness.

Quinn sat in Rachel's room, taking in the depth of the character of the girl she was only just starting to really see. An amazing, intelligent, beautiful captivating person that Quinn could hardly wait to really know. She so hoped that Rachel would give her the opportunity.

Rachel came out of the bathroom carrying the vase of yellow roses and smiled at Quinn as she made her way to the night stand beside her bed. Placing the vase on a little coaster she climbed onto her bed and rearranged the pillows, propping them into two piles against the headboard. With that task finished, she settled herself comfortably against the pile that was closest to her roses. She made the motion of smoothing out the creases in the skirt she was wearing, tugged at the hem of her baby doll tee shirt, gazed over at Quinn with those eyes that could melt a glacier and patted the empty spot on the bed next to her.

"Let's talk Quinn."

The deliberate way by which Rachel just arranged herself for this informal visit made Quinn disturbingly nervous. Ugh. Oh God. _Just go over there and sit down next to her and try and breathe you moron. Don't grope her or anything. Remember what Santana told you. Slow movements, gentle soothing voice_. Ack.

Finally, Quinn managed to climb onto the bed and lean against the pile of pillows that Rachel so painstakingly arranged for her. Unfortunately, for Quinn, she couldn't relax enough to say anything and Rachel wasn't going to help her. The brown eyed girl was staring her down with all her might, waiting for Quinn to begin the conversation. Quinn had, after all, said she wanted to "talk." Well, now was her chance and why the hell wasn't she talking?

All she could do was stare at Rachel. Her eyes were roaming the length of that tiny body, lingering on those dancers legs, so toned and tight and smooth and long, and the color of rich and creamy caramel - y_um_. Ack. After a period of openly gaping at Rachels body Quinn started to blush. Oh my God. I should look at her face if I'm going to talk to her. How the fuck am I going to do that now after completely ogling her for the last two minutes?

"Quinn?" Rachel decided to nudge her along after all.

Quinn forced herself to look up into those deeply expressive eyes and found a mix of confusion tossed in with a glimmer of amusement. Sigh.

"I'm sorry Rachel. I uh... I don't know how to do this. I just wanted us to spend some time together, so I could get to know you better. I did it all wrong again didn't I? I should have called first and asked you properly if we could meet. Instead, I just showed up at your house again...uninvited. And then, just now I sort of, well... no not sort of... I just totally checked out your body like a horny boy. Santana warned me about that... I'm sorry Rachel...I.. I, just really like you an annnd, I'm really nervous."

Rachel reached out to touch Quinn on the forearm. She stroked her gently, soothingly once, twice, to calm her down then pulled her hand back before responding to Quinn's declaration.

"It's alright Quinn. I'm glad you're here because I wanted us to talk as well. After last weekend, and then this week, we didn't really get a chance to have a real conversation and I...wait..." Rachel paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes at Quinn.

"What do you mean that Santana warned you about... what did Santana Lopez warn you about me Quinn Fabray? Did you tell Santana? Does she know Quinn?

Rachel's voice was gaining pitch as well as ire. She started to bob her knee up and down on the bed and was getting ready to start shouting. Quinn recognized the tight scrunching of the her brow that always preceded the screaming - right before a standard storm out.

Oh God.

Sigh.

"No Rachel, calm down. Um...Santana knows bbbut I didn't tell her. Brittany figured it out and then they confronted me with it yesterday when I was asking them for their help... they can't tell anyone because of rule #9. I swear Rachel they will never break that rule ...and, and, and,... Santana warned me not to do anything that would spook you because your like a wild horse...um...no, no, um, that's not what I meant to...-"

"_WHAT!" _Rachel shrieked. "Now you're calling me new and meaner nicknames?"

Rachel got off the bed and pointed at the door. Tears had sprung up in her eyes and she very quietly told Quinn to leave. "Just leave Quinn, please... just leave." Turning her back on the golden Cheerio, hugging herself tightly, the tiny diva began to silently sob.

"No, no, no, no..." Quinn scrambled across the bed and, going against everything that Santana had coached her to do the day before, she embraced Rachel from behind. She wrapped her arms completely around those slender shoulders, encircling her in a firm but gentle clasp, rested her chin upon her shoulder and began to whisper in her ear.

"Rachel... I...I love you. I've always loved you. I know you don't want to hear that from me right now. I know it's way too soon for me to say that to you... but it's true. I would never, ever, willingly hurt you again. Please believe me Rachel. Please...please..."

"What I said, just now about Santana and Britt... It came out all wrong... they were helping me to woo you Rachel. Santana had some crazy idea about the horse whisperer and said I should be gentle and kind to you and not to spook you like a horse gets spooked when they've been mistreated or when they're wild. She said you would never trust me because I had been so mean to you... unless I was patient and slow and sincere...and I'm sorry Rachel... I always screw up what I mean to say to you... but I swear to God they will never tell a soul about any of it... and I never, ever want to make you cry ever again... I love you Rachel... please believe me... I love you..."

Quinn was crying too. Her lips were pressed against Rachel's ear and she was whispering desperately, repeating herself again and again and, generally, getting a little hysterical. But she didn't let go of her grasp upon the tiny figure in her arms.

Slowly, ever so slowly the tension between their bodies seemed to melt away. Rachel relaxed in Quinn's embrace and Quinn loosened her grip. Rachel turned around in Quinn's arms. She blinked thick, long lashes - once, twice then raised her head to peer up into Quinn's tear filled hazel gaze.

Quinn gasped as tiny arms twined around her neck, cupped the back of her head and gently pulled her close. Closer, closer, until there was a hairsbreadth of space between them.

Until the was no space between them, and Rachel was closing her eyes, and pressing the heavenly softness of her mouth onto Quinn's tremulous lips.

**To Be Continued**

_Next Chapter - More of Rachel and Quinn, and the completion of Scenes 4 and 5 of Rachel's Play - finishing Act I. _

_Thanks again to those of you who left me a note of encouragement._


	9. Random Acts of Bad Poetry

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_I've been trying to update regularly on Wednesdays and Sundays but ran into a time constraint this week. Sorry for the delay. This chapter moves things forward with Rachel and Quinn and covers the last two Scenes of Act I in Rachel's play. _

_Thanks again for the great reviews and continuing to support this story._

**Chapter IX. Random Acts of Bad Poetry**

**Rachel and Quinn**

Rachel emptied her mind. She did it consciously. She made a decision to not think _at all_ about the ramifications of acting upon her feelings. Acting impulsively, willfully rejecting the little voice that said '_eek...it's her... HBIC... eek... don't... she's lying...she's mean..._'

Quelling the bothersome mental noises, she surrendered to what her body desired and what her heart craved. Somewhere - inside, outside, above, below and within - the thread that bound these elements; her mind, her body, her hearts desire - was that which wove them all together: her soul. A soul that needed to be watered and fed, basked in bright warm light and...loved.

That was the deal maker. Love. _" Rachel...I...I love you."_

Quinn was holding her snug, she could feel every firm muscle and soft curve pressed up tightly against her back. She could feel hot breath upon her neck, and the whispered words were sending chills and flushes simultaneously. Frantic whispers, of love, rule #9,of wild horses, of Santana Lopez and strange, albeit sound advice. Quinn repeated herself so many times, backwards and forwards that Rachel finally deciphered what the Cheerio was trying to explain. The recently awkward, and surprisingly shy cheerleader had melted Rachel's heart long before she finished her convoluted explanation. She had done it so easily. With those three words.

"I Love You."

_That is really a dirty trick. _All's fair in Love and War. _Who said that?_

It didn't matter because at the moment Rachel was mapping the subtle plains, the fullness, and the rich texture of Quinn's lips. She was taking a survey and exploring the terrain of the most delicious, soft, tender, sweet mouth she had ever kissed. This time she was ready for Quinn. She wasn't interested in making Quinn beg, or suffer. Quinn wanted her and that was all that mattered in this moment. Later, she could worry about what it might mean, but for now she wanted to let her heart soar and revel in the thrill of how her body hummed in the arms of Quinn Fabray.

So gentle, so sensual, so warm and soft. And slow. Slowly gaining a feel for the pressure and fit; pushing, pulling their mouths together, melting into one another losing the sense of identity while seeking to devour every smooth surface and contour. Hot flushed skin, gasping, nipping along the line of jaw, biting, tasting, frantically returning to soft lips. Rachel slowly ran her tongue along the length of Quinn's bottom lip, caressing, asking... please? Quinn sighed deeply, appreciatively, before inviting Rachel in.

Rachel's mouth tasted like warm rain and salty tears - her skin like cookies and cinnamon. Quinn moaned as their tongues touched, tentatively at first, softly stroking then plunging in deeper. Slow, sweet kisses became hot and needy. Quinn tightened her grip on Rachel's waist, pulling her even closer. Rachel's body surged forward, smashing their hips together. A surge of eroticism bubbled up from within and enveloped them both in an uprising of desire.

They broke the kiss simultaneously, panting, pressing their foreheads together and gazing into one another's eyes. Vulnerable, tear stained faces, open and raw - exposing the depth of feelings that could no longer be ignored, or denied.

"We really need to talk." Rachel whispered as she leaned forward, once again, to capture Quinn's lips in a tender kiss, denying the passion that was surging through her body. She pulled back gently back before Quinn could deepen the kiss. She really wanted to just let go again, but not before they laid down some ground rules.

Rachel knew they would need serious rules. Serious Rules. She was somewhat startled by her sudden self-control. Just a few more seconds would have had her pushing Quinn onto the bed and... and... and... she didn't even want to go there in her head. She only knew that her body still ached and wanted.

"Quinn?"

Quinn was still holding her tightly by the waist, her eyes were smokey green and her pupils were huge and dominating. She started to lean in again but Rachel placed her finger on her lips. She kissed Quinn on the cheek and whispered very softly in her ear.

"I don't want to stop either Quinn...but I don't want to regret going too far, too fast...alright?"

The Cheerio nodded and flashed Rachel a huge smile. A smile that was overly pleased. She very reluctantly released her hold on Rachel while bending down to press another soft kiss on the tiny diva's mouth.

Oh God. Rachel thought. I am going to be fighting this battle all by myself. Quinn is going to be no help at all. She is going to be all over me and I'm going to have a very difficult time not letting her.

She grabbed Quinn's hand and guided her back to the bed, pushing her to the pile of pillows she set up for them earlier.

"Now Quinn...nuh uh..." Rachel blocked Quinn with a raised hand. She was already drifting onto Rachel's side of the bed. "I want you to tell me everything. Everything that you and Santana and Brittany discussed yesterday - about me and what they know. And when you are finished, we will talk about what just happened between us. And what it means."

"I'd rather talk about us first." Quinn stated huskily, her eyes roaming all over Rachel but settling on the deep brown eyes that seem to hold her hostage. It was almost painful to maintain eye contact with Rachel. Everything the diva felt was expressed so intensely with a single glance. That brown eyed gaze was so ridiculously compelling. Quinn wanted to climb inside the girl, dissolve into her, be enveloped by the warmth and beauty that radiated from within her entire being.

"I want to hear about wild horses and rule #9 Quinn. I know what I feel about us but I don't know for sure what I will think about us until I hear about your get together with Santana and Brittany."

Sigh.

"Okay." Quinn resigned herself to doing what Rachel wanted. Suddenly realizing that she was going to be doing a lot of what Rachel wanted - whenever she wanted. Somehow, that didn't really bother her at all. She smiled at the beautiful girl who was waiting with curious eyes and a bottom lip that was threatening to protrude into a perfect pout.

Quinn sighed again, forced herself to lean back against the pillows, instead of the preferred spot - which would be in Rachel's lap. She squirmed a bit because her body was still on fire, and her heart rate hadn't slowed by much, and the skinny jeans she was wearing felt uncomfortably tight.

Quinn felt to fully explain what led up to Santana Lopez's lessons on '_how to tame the Wild Berry,'_ she needed to explain rule #9. And to explain rule #9, she needed to explain the life long friendship the three girls shared. It was going to be a long afternoon. She blew a puff of air at a stray lock of golden hair that had fallen over her face and began to finally, really _talk _with Rachel_._

Rachel reached over and pushed the golden lock behind the Cheerio's ear because she couldn't seem to help herself. All of the sudden touching Quinn was impossible not to do. She grabbed Quinn's hand and laced it with her own, settled herself against her own pile of pillows and prepared herself to listen.

_Several hours later._

They had stretched out on the bed, facing one another with just an inch or two of space between them.

"I want all of that." Rachel whispered.

"All of what?"

" The courtship that Santana described. I want the soft words and gentle touches, I want something that smells like you to keep here with me. I want the flowers and the song and all the 'romance crap'. Just because you got the kiss before you got the hug - doesn't mean you get out of doing the work. "

"Okay." Quinn whispered, and ran a finger down the length of Rachel's collar bone.

"Okay?" Rachel's body shivered in response to Quinn's caress.

"Yes" Quinn nodded her assurance before leaning in to kiss the sensitive spot below Rachel's ear.

"That was much to easy Quinn Fabray!"

Both girls giggled before closing the two inch gap of space between them.

**(Several Weeks Later)**

**Monday: Act I, Scene IV: Random Acts of Bad Poetry I.**

"Now sweetie, I know you think the world of me but this is just too cute, and actually quite wonderful. Thank you." Kurt gushed at his friend as he held the little note in his hand along with two slips of paper that looked like coupons."

"Huh?" Mercedes was still twisting the knob on her combination lock and looking a little flustered. Monday's were not the best days for Mercedes Jones. She liked to sleep in on the weekends so getting up early for school on Monday made her cranky and forgetful.

Kurt's voice was wavering as he read the note aloud to Mercedes.

"Who you are is Fabulous

a Diamond amongst dross.

Who you are is a guiding light

a super human being.

Who you are is courage

never give up your dream.

Who you are is perfect

don't ever change a thing.

When he finished he smiled brightly at his friend before moving in for a hug.

"Uhm...Kurt." Mercedes eyes had grown as big as saucers. She patted him on the back and stepped out of his embrace.

"As much as I would love to be the one to have left you that bad rap. And I mean, not bad as in good. But bad as in _awful_."

Kurt frowned.

No, no, it's cool... the words are cool, and true... but the rhythm...just misses. Honey it wasn't me. I love you, you're my besty, but I did not write _that!_ What's that you got in your hand? Are those coupons for Betty Anne's?"

Kurt nodded absently, but still wasn't convinced that Mercedes hadn't left the bad poetry. Bad poetry that made him feel good. Really good. Suddenly, the halls were starting to bubble with noise. Mumblings could be heard, exclamations of surprise and, generally, a feeling of cheerfulness rippled through the corridors. Most of the kids were holding little slips of paper, some of them were sharing while others were quietly reading with baffled and goofy expressions on their faces.

Tina and Mike came running up to them laughing and waving little slips of papers of their own.

"You got one too Kurt?" Tina asked shyly, smiling at he and Mercedes - who was suddenly, frantically trying to remember her locker combination. Darn. She always forgot the order of the numbers on Monday!.

Kurt felt a little shy, deciding he didn't want to share his poem with everyone because it was really personal and he didn't want the good feeling to get spoiled. He waved the coupons from Betty Anne's in Tina's face to distract her from his note.

"Free mani and pedi for me and a friend." He pumped his fist in the air but stopped himself midway. That was a very unseemly gesture for him to be making so he opted for squealing with delight instead.

"Mike scored a free dance lesson and I got a gift certificate for "Goth A lot." Tina gloated (as much as someone like Tina would gloat) while Mike bobbed his head and smiled warmly at his girlfriend.

Mercedes finally cracked the combination to her locker. She was practically hyperventilating by the time she found the little note and two tickets to Red Riding hood. They were dangling by a string that was attached to a little button. She had been dying to see that movie... who the hell knew that? She fumbled with the note upon the string, finally just yanking it off. She tore the tiny paper in half but managed to piece it together well enough to read...

"You are Beautiful

in every single way

no matter what you do

the sun will shine on you

because

you're so very beautiful

today and every day."

Mercedes grunted, then laughed out loud.

"Well, whoever the bad poet is they ripped off Christina Aguilera... twisted the words around some, but definitely stole it." Mercedes might have been complaining about the plagiarism but her smile could light up the whole hallway and that was not lost on her fellow gleeks.

The bell rang and the four of them headed to their classes together. Each of them smiling and laughing while exchanging theories about what it all meant. Who could it be?

Rachel wandered down the hall a moment later wearing a smile of her own.

Rachel's prior prediction to her Dad and Daddy turned out to be true. Three weeks without a prank and the bullies of the school were settling back into the same obnoxious, abusive behavior they had exhibited before.

Like the Captain of a ship at sea, Rachel decided to fire a warning shot before taking true aim and blowing the enemy ship out of the water. She had set Act I, Scenes, IV and V: Random acts of Bad Poetry I, and Random Act of Bad Poetry II, to be played out in two parts - on separate but consecutive days.

There were, of course, students who were horrible bullies that hadn't been targeted in Rachel's first Scenes. During the summer while developing each Act, and the Scenes therein, Rachel knew the Play must evolve in stages. Her first salvo would target the worst of the worst in the school - thereby setting the bar of fear high, and a tone by which the rest of the student body could follow - or not.

But she knew some of the worst would fall through the cracks. They were not all on the cheer leading squad nor the football team. So she made secondary, alternative arrangements for those maladapted students who could not learn by simply seeing what might happen to them.

Rachel made a list that was similar in type to what Santa Claus might have in his workshop at the North Pole. A Naughty and Nice list.

The students on the Nice list - got something, well... nice. The students on the Naughty list - got the warning shot over the bow. One warning before she reloaded her canons and aimed true.

The Naughty list consisted of 67 names. These were the students who made an effort on a daily basis to make the lives of the likes of Rachel and much of the student body miserable.

The Nice list consisted of everyone who wasn't on the Naughty list. Rachel didn't know most of these "nice" students but she wanted to reward them along with those she knew for a fact, were very good and kind. There is so much free stuff to be had - you just had to know where to find it. Tickets to movies, and coupons to restaurants, and discounts at spas, music shops and bookstores. Stickers and buttons and posters, novelties and even some interesting snacks.

Rachel collected these things throughout the summer in preparation for this part of her play. Much of the free stuff she got on line while shopping for herself. Every time she bought something she made sure to take advantage of whatever free junk they would send along with her package. Every student who was on the "Nice" list, received at the very least - a very pleasant, uplifting thought poem for the day. The students she knew personally, or were known for genuinely being kind, got a little something extra. Something she hoped would make them smile at least.

**Tuesday: Act I, Scene V: Random Acts of Bad Poetry II.**

" If you insist on being mean

you will soon be Celery Green "

Stephanie Hanson read the little rectangular missive that she found within her locker with big eyes. She visibly gulped, looked over her shoulder, then glanced down the hall in either direction. Out of reflex she jumped back from her locker to look up at the ceiling. As though a giant bucket of Celery dye was just waiting for her to notice it, before being dumped on her head. Her face was turning bright Red with embarrassment. Or anger?

Stephanie's skin tone was back to its original clear, flawlessly smooth, pale alabaster. The effects of the Celery dye had completely disappeared and with the return of her natural state of beauty came the return of her natural state of being. Mean. The Sophomore Cheerio was a notorious wannabe of the worst kind. The 'I wannabe exactly like Quinn Fabray' kind.

Poor Stephanie. She could never be like Quinn - who was, truly, an original. Quinn had also changed dramatically since the beginning of this school year. But Stephanie, along with many of the younger girls on the Cheerio squad, continued to try and emulate the HBIC attitude that Quinn had previously owned. And still, on occasion, ruled with. But only for the purposes of protecting Rachel and aiding her in the completion of her Play.

Stephanie wadded up the little note, which was similar in size to one you might find in a fortune cookie, threw it violently at her locker, slammed the door and marched off down the hall to her first class.

"Didn't take it too well did she?" Santana Lopez snarked as she watched the frustrated Cheerio stomp away. She slipped up behind Rachel under the pretense of harassing her, but was really just checking in to see how their previous nights deliveries were being received.

Rachel looked at the floor pretending to be intimidated by the feisty Latina. She shook her head but was having a terrible time keeping her wicked grin hidden.

"No, I'd say that she took it very badly. Snort. Stephanie _really_ hated being green. I think that threat alone was the worst possible one I could come up with for her. Some of the others needed new material to absorb - to let their imaginations get carried away with what might happen to them. But Stephanie just might step into line with the threat of looking like a giant stick of Celery for another month."

Santana nodded and tried to maintain a fierce glare, she hovered over Rachel like a menacing raptor - but it was all an act. Rachel insisted the four of them must continue with the previous dynamic that existed between them at school - at least until her Play was finished. In private, they would continue to develop the friendship they had missed out on over the years of estrangement.

Just as Santana and Rachel were ready to part ways, Brittany arrived like a leaping gazelle. Her pony tail was swaying wildly and her Cheerio skirt was flapping with a self created breeze. She grabbed Rachel unexpectedly from behind, lifted her off the ground, squeezed her tight, kissed her on the cheek - then let her go.

Rachel stumbled, then skidded forward - almost falling down from the shock of being picked up, having the air squeezed out of her lungs, sloppily kissed and then dropped in mid air. Her life had certainly taken a turn toward interesting. She straightened out her really short skirt, tugged her argyle sweater back in place before turning around to offer Brittany a lopsided smile.

"Hi Rach. I love my bad poem."

"_What_?" Santana turned to glare at Rachel. "Brittany got a bad poem?"

"Not today...yesterday. Brittany has never been on the Naughty list. I felt she deserved to get something sweet along with everyone else."

"I see." Santana quirked her eyebrows curiously. "So...did Quinn get a bad poem yesterday?"

"No Santana, Quinn did not get a _bad_ poem. You and Quinn will have to earn your _bad_ poems...and why are you calling them _bad_ poems? They are very nice poems...or they were meant to be nice..."

Santana chuckled. She paused for a moment before answering Rachel's question and turned to Brittany. Rachel eyed her suspiciously, knowing that the clever Latina was up to something.

"What did your poem say Britt?"

Brittany scrunched up her eyebrows to try and recall the exact words. She took a big breath, straightened her posture and began to recite her bad poem.

"Roses are Red

Violets are Blue

You're the sweetest

Cheerio I ever knew.

You rocked as a Ginger.

Red Devil Girl.

_Sexy. Sexy. Sexy._

Twirling that pitchfork

made everybody clap

Rocking that Ginger.

Hot, Hot, Snap.

Hot, Hot, Snap."

Brittany finished the poem like she would finish a cheer. Jumping up and down and clapping, she repeated the last part one last time - like a chorus. _"Hot, Hot, Snap."_

"_BERRY! _I will forget some of that for now! But, you have to admit that is really, really, _really Bad_ Poetry. You can sing yourself out of a paper bag on any given day but please, do yourself a favor and get someone else to write your lyrics for you."

"Harumph." (stomp)

Santana smirked before she continued.

"The whole school has been sharing "bad poetry" for two days now. That's what everyone is calling it. Damn Berry you started some sort of weird movement... The Bad Poets Society."

" I liked it." Brittany pouted at her girlfriend but she smiled at Rachel and winked. Rachel winked back and and they both started to giggle. Santana rolled her eyes and linked her pinky with Brittany.

"We'll talk later about, _'Sexy. Sexy. Sexy.'_ and _'Rocking that Ginger'_ Berry. Let's go Britt... _Hot, Hot, Snap!" _She snapped her fingers at her girlfriend, who started to giggle again. They left Rachel in the hallway with a huge grin splitting her face in two.

Most of the students on the Naughty list were really peeved for having been left out on Monday when everyone else got the _bad (nice) poems_ and happy surprises. Until Tuesday, when they received their own version of Bad Poetry.

big bully punk

thought he was so tough

and cool

beat on kids for fun

at school

til came a day

the winds they changed

big bully punk

i'm watching you

better watch your back

you already got a stripe

everybody heard the hype

smelled it too.

pew, pew, pew.

big bully punk

better learn to get along

better learn to care for someone

there's worse things than

smelling bad.

there's worse things for

_YOU._

if you don't change

better try harder

this is your last chance.

_TRUE._

David Karofsky didn't get a little piece of rectangular paper that was the size of a note in a fortune cookie. He got three stanzas written in black sharpie marker on a piece of cardboard. He trembled with anger as he read them. Rage was on the surface but the fear was doing the driving. He knew the person who wrote this "bad poem" was deadly serious. He also knew it was the same person who was responsible for the "Skunking." What could be worse than that? David Karofsky _was_ terrified. He tore up the cardboard into a hundred little pieces and stuffed them back in his locker.

Rachel watched as he charged down the hallway like a raging bull. David was escalating. He was the worst of the worst. His recent harassment of Kurt had progressed from name calling and Slushie throwing to acts of violence that were mostly ignored by just about everyone in the school. Because Kurt was gay. For the first time, since she had begun this whole process - Rachel was treading in water that was much too deep.

**To Be Continued**

_Sorry if the chapter reads a little choppy. It was a little complicated with both Scenes and the dynamic of Rachel and Quinn. I'll probably go back and edit it some more but I didn't want to put off updating. I hate waiting forever for the stories I like to read to get updated so I will try and be consistent up through the finish. The next chapter will have some explanations of the fallout from these two scenes, as well as hints about Act II of Rachels play. Hope you all continue to follow along._

_Thanks again to those of you who left me a note of encouragement._


	10. Musings

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This is a shorter, kind of moody chapter, which consists of snippets of thought among the characters. How the shenanigans at school have affected their lives. What they think about the person responsible for the pranks and what the future may reveal in relation to Rachel's first scene of Act II._

**Chapter X. Musings**

**Finn**

Stupid girls. Finn decided he didn't want to have a stupid girlfriend anyway. Or, not one of the stupid girls he thought he wanted. He would show them. Quinn had actually told him, "Get lost Finnocence, been there done that already - not interested." She actually said those exact words to him. Finn Hudson. Star quarterback of the lousiest football team in the history of McKinley High. Huh?

No, not the _lousiest_ _team_. Why did he think that? Who told him that? Oh, that's right - Quinn did. Quinn said she was not impressed that he was the _star quarterback of the_ _lousies_t... nevermind. He didn't need to keep thinking that. Pretty soon he would start to say it out loud and that would be really dumb.

And Rachel, how could she? He had very politely told her he was ready to for them to get back together. And she laughed at him. Out loud, in the hallway - in front of all the other kids. She snorted and then laughed and laughed and laughed at him. And then she said something he didn't understand. Some long sentence about him being too smart or something. What were those other words she said? Um... imbesilly, and something about his intelligent quote and filling up a thimble. What was a thimble anyway? It didn't make any sense. Rachel was always so boring anyway, using all those big words and never really saying anything. But she did have nice boobs. Too bad she never let him touch them.

He was just so glad he didn't stink anymore so he could ask Stephanie Hanson out. She wouldn't laugh at him. Now that she was back to being pretty he wouldn't think of pea soup every time he looked at her. He hated pea soup. Stephanie would be really stoked. She would be bragging to everyone that she was dating the star quarterback of the lousiest football team in the history of McKinley High. Yeah. That's right.

**Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Mike, Puck, Artie and Sam. **

"Who do you think it is Puck? You're the _badass _who's got all the game around here... is ...is it you?" Mercedes lowered her voice into a whisper with the sudden realization that it really could be Puck who was creating so much chaos.

Artie wheeled himself away from the object of sudden attention. He did a little spin before rolling in front of Mercedes who was sitting on the bottom row next to Kurt. They were scattered around the choir room on varying tiers, waiting for everyone else in glee to arrive - killing time by making wild guesses as to who the Prankmaster was.

"No offense Puck," Artie cleared his throat and then addressed Mercedes. "But it could not possibly be Puck who is behind this superior scheme Mercedes. I, in fact, believe it could possibly be a...-

"Whaddaya mean it couldn't be me? It could too possibly be me." Puck fumed at Artie's dismissal of his badassery.

Artie absently pushed his horn rimmed glasses back into position, shrugged his shoulders and softly explained.

"Uhm... you always get caught Puck. Every time you've ever done anything remotely against the rules...you get caught. You just got back from Juvie for trying to steal an ATM machine. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious Puck, but that was really stupid. I mean dumb. Idiotic. Not clever at all."

"Alright Wheels." Puck was on his feet but before he took a single step Sam was blocking his path.

"Whoa dude... let's all just calm down."

At the same time Mike stood up and planted himself in front of Artie, which surprised them all. Artie wasn't Mike's favorite person considering his past with Tina. Tina was, however, Mike's favorite person and she still considered Artie a close friend.

Deciding it wasn't worth the trouble to beat up a boy in a wheelchair, Puck decided to sit back down but not before slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand - making it smack loudly in Sam's face.

"Whatever dude..." Puck chuckled. "You're right, I always get busted."

The tension in the room dissolved and Artie continued his line of thought.

"As I was saying earlier, I believe the Joker is a girl. The Bad Poetry has me convinced, as well as the nature of the other pranks. Many of the poems were just too sentimental and flowery to be written, or even thought of by a boy."

Kurt scoffed. "I happen to think that many of the so called _Bad Poems _were quite beautiful." His face turned bright red as he realized what he had just done.

"You're right Kurt, I take it back. It could be _you_, or any of the girls in this school. But not the other boys." Artie corrected his former statement without a hitch.

"Most boys aren't that sentimental, nor as diabolical and clever as this Prankmistress. If a guy wants to get back at someone he punches them in the face, or shoves them, or keys their car, or slashes their tires - or pees on their gym bag."

"He doesn't spend hours plotting schemes to overthrow the whole school, unless he's a nutso serial killer. And then you get a school shooting. No, I think that whomever is behind this whole thing is _almost_ as crazy as those boys who shoot up the schools - but it's a she."

"And, she is going about it the way a girl would - sneaky, malicious, backstabbing, conniving, but without overt violence. I'm hoping she doesn't start to use poison though. Because, studies show that women who do commit murder tend to poison their victi...-"

At that point Artie stopped speaking with the awareness that the _girls _in the room(and Kurt) had taken to piercing him with "eye daggers." Oops.

"Sneaky, diabolical, malicious, backstabbing, conniving? Is that what you really think about girls Artie?" Mercedes was on her feet looming over the boy, threatening to strangle him with her two non violent hands.

Puck and Sam were snorting and laughing out loud. Mike's eyes were very wide and he was trying to smother an impish grin.

Kurt was frantically trying to restrain Mercedes from an act of said _overt violence _that a girl would never commit.

Tina watched it all with an amused twinkle in her eye and a secret smile. She _had_ given Artie the _stink eye_ because what he said was vile and so so wrong. The person behind the practical jokes and the so called bad poetry was none of those things that Artie described.

Well, she _was_ a little crazy. That part was true, and she could be sneaky and clever - but the rest of what Artie said was way out of line.

Rachel was much too kind, generous, thoughtful and caring to actually ever hurt anyone intentionally. No. Rachel was doing what someone should have done a long time ago. She was fighting back. She was saying, 'not any more assholes - I won't let you hurt me anymore.' And she was saying it for the silent majority of the students in school. She could hardly believe that Artie couldn't see how much better his own life at school had been since Rachel started her... _whatever_ she was doing. But things were better for all of them.

She would keep her secret to herself. If the opportunity arose to point her finger 'thataway,' to sow some seeds of misdirection, in an effort to keep the hounds off Rachel's trail - then she would take it.

"I think it's Becky."

Tina spoke softly but loud enough for everyone to stop what they were doing to stare at her with gaping mouths and big eyes.

"Becky's a lot smarter than everyone thinks, she's also really nice and loves sentimental gestures. But, most importantly, she has access to Coach Sylvester's office and the Cheerio locker room. Who else has that kind access? "

Artie was nodding his head just a bit, trying to wrap his mind around what Tina just said. The others expressions were a mix of shock and disappointment and disbelief. They all started to argue amongst themselves about the possibility. Kurt and Mercedes were suddenly shrieking with the delicious idea of Coach Sylvester's lackey turning traitor.

Tina exhaled a deep sigh of relief.

She didn't notice that Sam was watching her very carefully. Sam was a thoughtful, quiet boy - like Tina was a thoughtful quiet girl. They both flew under the radar, got overlooked because of the more tempestuous personalities that surrounded them. Sam had his own ideas about the 'Prankmistress' and he was grateful that Tina played Becky as the wild card. He was having a hard time coming up with a believable scapegoat. He didn't know Rachel very well, but he knew enough to know he didn't want her to get caught. She was one of the few kids who had really welcomed him to this school when he had first arrived.

**Sue Sylvester**

The Slushies were still being thrown but less frequently and rather randomly. Certain students were no longer encouraged to continue these activities and, surprisingly, they seemed to have lost their appetite for the duty.

Figgins had been fully prepared to ban the Slushie machine from the cafeteria. He made that brave decision on the very same day he was treated to his very own Slushie facial. However, the decision was taken out of his hands for two reasons: 1) The school made a very tidy profit on the sales of Slushies - particularly since a large percentage were being purchased for the sole purpose of being tossed in someone's face. 2) The authority of the School Board would not be undermined by an anonymous, cowardly, slithering, anarchist pranskster.

Sue had been dutifully chastised, a letter of reprimand was placed in her file and she was ordered - with the threat of termination, to stop inciting the Slushie attacks. After finally convincing the school Board that the note was a forgery, she also convinced them to hand over some money. If they wanted the use of her private investigator and his unique and varied resources they would have to pay the piper.

She would set a trap for this sneaky, misdirected no good do gooder. This Robin Hood of the lonesome, lackluster losers who dwelled in the murky bottom of Mckinley's social stratum.

She intended to catch this pen stealing, forgery producing, color concocting, stink inducing - Bard of Bad Poetry. This, this, this...unevolved CRETIN, who had dared to steal her personal stationary, who had dared to wield her Dunhil pen, who had dared to flawlessly duplicate her own handwriting - and scribble the foulest piece of loathsome drivel Sue had ever laid eyes upon.

You are such a rotten Coach -

your Cheerio's are first rate jerks

but following in your gigantor footsteps

can't have many perks.

You should teach them something nice

wouldn't want them catching lice

you'd have to cut off all their hair

we'd all go blind from bald Cheerio glare. :D

**Rachel **

Rachel was horny.

Quinn was a tease. She got her all hot and bothered - then she left her high and not at all dry. That was so unfair.

Somehow, her obsession to finish her Play, and her obsession to become a Broadway Star, had taken a backburner to her recent obsession of exploring every patch of skin on that very beguiling Cheerleader.

Quinn had just left for the evening - hence the reason for Rachel's horniness. She was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling, feeling enormously frustrated and wondering how this could be happening. Argggggh. It was her own fault. She had insisted that they take things slow and Quinn was being very accommodating, which completely threw the tiny diva for a loop.

But Quinn had taken her very seriously when Rachel declared she wanted a courtship. And that was exactly what Rachel was getting. A very sweet, gentle, loving, conservative courtship. UGH! It wasn't really fair to blame Quinn, she supposed, but darn.

Rachel was technically a virgin. She hadn't had sex with anyone. Oh, she'd done some heavy petting with Finn, and Jesse, but nothing below the belt or under the clothes. And, if she was honest with herself, now that she had something to compare those experiences with - those boys were complete duds.

Rachel was a curious girl. A young, intelligent, affectionate, passionate, determined, highly motivated, obsessively curious girl. Her fathers had encouraged her from the start to go after what she wanted. No matter what the challenge - if she was determined and committed and worked hard and asked the right questions and did the right research - she could accomplish anything. And that is how Rachel approached her life.

The internet is a wonderful resource and Rachel had taken full advantage when she began her search to discover the pleasures of her body. She found videos (porn) and accessories (toys) and on line specialists (chat room groupies) who had some very interesting advice to share. Just because she wasn't going to be having sex until she turned twenty five didn't mean she was going to wait that long to learn what it was like to have an orgasm.

She was well acquainted with how her body responded to certain types of stimulation and what she found most pleasurable. And, she could hardly wait to try some of those techniques on Quinn. She was dying, in fact, with the need to make her girlfriend come.

That sounded so crude and Rachel was relieved that people (Quinn) couldn't read minds because her thoughts had recently regressed in ratio to the rising state of her sexual frustration. Honestly, she had tossed out the idea of waiting to have sex until she was twenty five shortly after she and Quinn had started dating. She desperately wanted to make love with Quinn and felt that they were ready to make that leap. Quinn did not. They had argued about it, once again, just before Quinn went home that evening.

_"Rachel, I love you. And I am in love with you. This has been established from the beginning. I want to be with you too, I want to make love with you... but you are not in love with me. Not yet. I understand, sweetheart, that it's going to take you time to trust me, to know that what I say is true. I can wait for you to love me Rach. It's enough for me - that I know you care for me and have feelings for me. I could hardly expect you to forget the way I treated you before - and I understand. I want us to take our time, I want to prove to you that my love for you is real. But Rachel, I don't want you to make the same mistake that I did. _

_I had sex with a boy I didn't love. I can barely remember the experience except that it hurt...and the aftermath of that mistake will haunt me for the rest of my life. Getting that close to someone, becoming that intimate with another person should be something you remember, it should mean something Rachel. You deserve for your first time to be with someone who loves you, but also, someone that you love as well. Please Rach, take the time to be sure of what you want and what you feel. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I will be right here when you are ready - but I want it to be because you love me too."_

She _was _in love with Quinn. She was madly in love with Quinn but hadn't declared her feelings yet. They were so big and scary and overwhelming that she feared to let them loose. She was terrified. For the first time in Rachel's life she was frightened of Quinn Fabray. In the past Quinn's power to hurt her had been born from a childish, hateful pettiness. Not from the depth of emotions involving love.

She wanted so badly to believe in Quinn, to trust her unconditionally, to surrender herself wholly - but she could not say those words, not yet.

She had showered them upon Finn on a daily basis, and Jesse as well when they were dating; but in contrast to what she was feeling now - those thoughtless utterings to foolish boys meant absolutely nothing.

That girl child Rachel, was a different person than the woman she was becoming in the midst of these grown up emotions. She knew she couldn't pretend that she and Quinn could just have casual sex. That wasn't who Rachel was (nor Quinn) and it wasn't what she really wanted. But that would mean she would have to let go and trust. Quinn would have the power. The power to crush her completely and Rachel didn't know if her heart could survive that kind of devastation.

**To Be Continued**

_Next Chapter - Sue Sylvesters trap, David Karofsky and Rachel's Act II, Scene I. Also more Rachel and Quinn._

_Thanks so much to those of you who continue to read and review. _

_For some reason the reply URL on the reviews I receive isn't working. I've been trying to go back and comment on some of your reviews but have ended up having to use the private messaging option - so it's taking me a lot longer to respond. Thank you all for taking the time to leave a note. The feedback is very helpful as well as incentive to keep going. My J.O.B. has gotten really busy so I may be slowing down on the updates for a week or so._


	11. Halloween  A Night to Remember

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This chapter and the next few chapters will become a bit more serious and even a little angst filled. I fully intend to go back to the lighter more humor filled interactions but need to move the characters through a few obstacles before I can do that. This chapter begins with a flashback, which will help explain how Rachel became such an adept Prankmistress. The Faberrry romance continues to evolve... slow but sure. Hope you all continue to follow along. I wholeheartedly thank you all for the generous reviews._

**Chapter XI. Halloween - A Night to Remember**

_(The end of Rachel's Sophomore year and that following summer)_

**Peter and his Apprentice.**

Rachel wandered into her back yard two weeks before the end of her Sophomore year at McKinley High. She spotted Peter trimming his rose bushes, smiled wistfully, leaned against the picket fence that bordered their yards and greeted her neighbor and friend.

"Hi Peter."

The gentle man had become a very important person in Rachel's life. He befriended the Berry family when they moved in next to his modest home. Peter was older, probably fifty something Rachel guessed, but still quite vigorous and full of life and mischief. He was retired from his job that he would never talk about and spent his days doing odd experiments, inventing gadgets and taking care of his rose bushes.

Often times he was called upon to 'babysit' in the evening when her Dads went out to spend some time together. The term 'babysit' was never used of course because Rachel would have a fit of apoplexy. But it was common enough that Rachel would spend an evening, two or three times a month, hanging out with her eccentric but very wonderful friend and neighbor.

"What's up Half Pint? You look a little sad today, those bullies at school still getting you down?"

Rachel nodded sadly.

"School is almost over for this year and I find I have made little, actually no progress in making new friends. I've also failed miserably at convincing Mr. Figgins to remove the slushie dispenser in the cafeteria. "

" I see. " Peter scrunched his brushy eyebrows together, set his clippers in the bucket he was using for green waste, then focused his attention completely upon Rachel. His thick hair was wavy and silver but still held patches of the deep black it once had been. He wasn't very tall for a man but he seemed so huge to Rachel - she thought it was likely he was so big on the inside that his essence overflowed the confines of his body.

Peter was the kindest, gentlest man she had ever met with the exception of her Dad. She often thought they would probably tie for first place if there was ever such a contest.

"You know what sweetheart? Sometimes you have to fight back if you want to make a change. 'Killin' 'em with kindness' is a wonderful philosophy honey but some folks will never learn to speak that language. If you want them to understand you Rachel, you have to communicate with them in a language they will comprehend."

He reached out and patted her hand then cupped her chin. His eyes were sparkly blue and held a twinkle that Rachel thought was decidedly wicked.

"What exactly do you mean Peter? I do not believe in an eye for and eye. I would never resort to name calling nor throwing slushie facials. That would only regress me to their level - the very base plane that they exist upon."

Peter shook his head vehemently back and forth.

"No Half Pint - not necessarily. You could be their teacher and raise them up to your level - your plane. But to do that you have to make them listen first. If you want them to listen Rachel, you must get their attention. You could choreograph certain scenarios - situations that will make them sit up straight and pay attention. These scenarios could be completely harmless, yet highly instructional. The only thing that may get hurt are some monster ego's and some useless pride."

"But, I don't know how to do that Peter." Rachel sulked, " I wouldn't know where to start."

Peter gazed at his little friend, those deep brown eyes were filled with a sadness that could threaten to become permanently damaging. Rachel was such a sensitive, beautiful person who was forced to interact in an environment that was crushing her spirit. She was stubborn and bright but needed a push. She needed to think outside the box of rules she believed were good and humane - she had been trodden upon because no one else in that looney bin school she attended had any standards at all. Well, Peter decided, he would offer her a branch but she would need to pull herself out of the quicksand.

"I tell you what sweetheart. Hows about you become my apprentice for the summer? I have some projects to finish. You can help me with some of my tinkering and I will help you formulate a plan of reven...- ah... um... leveling of the playing field at school."

Rachel's eyes grew very wide. She could hardly believe what Peter was offering her. She had always wanted to get into his workshop but had never been invited. She knew he was a brilliant man. Her Daddy told her once that he held all kinds of degrees and Doctorates in Astro Physics, Philosophy, Biochemistry and Engineering. She wondered what her Dad and Daddy would think about Peter's offer and decided not to find out. It wasn't a lie after all, if she didn't bring it up in the first place, right?

And so began her summer of becoming a Playwright. A Producer. A Director. An Inventor. An Apprentice to one of the most gifted minds in the country. A very dear friend and companion - an encourager of self discovery and self determination. A promoter of the idea that being a victim is unacceptable and you don't have to hurt people to fight back. You simply have to show them a different way to behave.

Peter was a truly gifted teacher. He never once told Rachel what she might do. He set up experiments for her to run in tandem with his own experiments. He would leave out books on Botany and the many practical uses of plants and herbs. Each night he gave her lists of URLs with interesting discoveries to research on line. One day it was Botany the next day Entomology, and the next some odd, speculative piece on the future influence of nano technology. Sometimes he would spend three whole days on Behavioral Science and require Rachel to use her Dads as guinea pigs to test the theories of human behavior she had been studying.

Peter hinted, he encouraged but he never lead her to a single conclusion. And always, always, always - he made her test and re-test her experiments and solutions. "Never be happy with a successful outcome Rachel. Always try to make your experiment fail - if it fails, even once, it is severely flawed." Near the end of July she had the outline of her Play completed and she was working comfortably in her own workshop which her Dad and Daddy had so generously renovated to meet her specific needs.

Peter balanced her on the bicycle, but once he gave her a shove he fully expected her to ride it by herself. He, of course, was still available for consultations and occasionally sharing his equipment. Equipment, which he designed and tested rigorously before submitting for a patent. Rachel was a happy and eager beneficiary of such extended research, as it provided her access to a variety of sophisticated spyware and gadgetry.

For example, the eyes upon her animal sweaters were little nano lenses, equipped with mini receivers and transmitters - eye cameras. She only had two eye cameras so she had to remove them each time she wore a different sweater and place them upon whichever animal of the day she happened to be wearing.

All day long, wherever she wandered throughout the school, the eyes of her animal sweater were recording everything it saw and transmitting the information back to Rachel's and Peter's computers. She gathered an enormous amount of video unbenounced to the students who walked the halls beside her. Unbenounced to the students who threw the slushies. Unbenounced to the students who intimidated with nasty names and hateful shoving and pushing and punching. That escalation of violence was the catalyst that determined the re-write of Rachel's Act II, Scene I: Halloween - A Night to Remember.

**V for Vivacious Vixens Valiantly Vivisecting Vile Villains Verily Vouchsafing Victory. **

Quinn was wrapping her breasts tightly to her chest in Rachel's bathroom. Rachel knew what she was doing in there and was having a very difficult time not sneaking a peek. It wasn't like she hadn't seen Quinn's breasts. Well, she'd touched them before and kissed them a little. But they had never gotten naked together during any of their heavy make-out sessions. Something always halted the progression. Either her fathers coming home, or Quinn's mom if they were hanging out at the cheer leaders house, or Santana and Brittany showing up. But, mostly, it was Quinn herself who put the brakes on whenever things got overly heated between them. Arggggh.

So, Rachel was sitting on the end of her bed, dressed up like a Unicorn Princess clasping a star topped wand in one hand, while fondling her horn with the other. She was pressing her palm onto the pointy end trying to decipher if it was sharp enough to actually cause a puncture if she rammed into someone (Finn) by accident of course. That sleazy boy had been hitting on both she and Quinn at the same time. He had the nerve to actually ask them both to be his girlfriend on the same day.

Rachel was literally horny now, as well as figuratively. Harumph. Quinn was dressing like Guy Fawkes. She wanted them to be able to dance together, therefore she picked a costume that would disguise her face completely so no one could guess who she was. They were still maintaining the cover of hostility toward one another at school, thus it would be highly inappropriate for the Head Cheerio to be seen dancing with the schools most notable pariah. Rachel thought Quinn was being a bit extreme by wrapping her breasts but she understood why when her girlfriend stepped out of the bathroom.

The Black, long sleeved shirt she was wearing was very form fitting. It was tucked into Black snug fitting trousers which were sealed shut with a Black leather belt. The Silver buckle was large and ornate, bordering on gaudy and shaped like a well endowed mermaid. Quinn did that on purpose.

Rachel went off in her mind for a moment staring at that little naked mermaid - cockily guarding Quinn's chastity, swishing that tail in a loop - mocking Rachel with a naughty grin. She imagined herself grabbing that seabred siren in a fist, yanking her close, unclasping her hardware and slowly, oh so slowly, snaking that leather through the belt loops...-

"Rach?"

Quinn was a little concerned she might get skewered by that gold star perched atop the wand - Rachel was holding it with a death grip and her glazed eyes were reminiscent of those one might see upon a starving cannibal.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands Quinn strode over to the little diva and knelt before her on the floor. Rachel, seated on the bed was just a little taller than Quinn was kneeling before her. Quinn inched herself closer, pushing the diva's knees apart, snuggling as close as possible to her _hot Little Unicorn Princess. _

Rachel snapped out of her fantasy the moment soft lips were pressed against her neck and strong arms were twining around her waist, pulling her close to that body she so adored. "ummm." Rachel muttered against Quinn's lips, surrendering happily to the hot and steamy kiss. Her gold star wand tumbled noiselessly to the carpeted floor and all thoughts of manhandling mermaids were pushed to the side while her girlfriend very thoroughly kissed her senseless.

Quinn's hands were roaming the higher reaches of Rachels thighs, she had pushed the white leather skirt up so she could massage the diva's quads. Yes, that's what she was doing - massaging Rachel's sore leg muscles. But, she needed to be fair, needed to be certain the opposite muscle group got some attention as well - so she slid her hands underneath to squeeze those aching hamstrings as well; lifting Rachel slightly off the bed in an effort to pull her impossibly closer. Rachel was panting into her neck as Quinn started to work on her gluteus maximus ...-

_"Hot Hot Snap."_

Was shouted from the doorway of Rachel's bedroom, which was followed by a wolf whistle.

Enter the most sweetly innocent Angel you ever laid eyes upon and a Vampire to make Buffy tremble and quake.

Quinn was startled by the interruption and immediately released her girlfriends assets. She buried her face in Rachel's cleavage in utter mortification. Rachel was pissed. She shot the interlopers a look of pure malice while at the same time pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Quinn's head.

"Cool your jets Berry we are running on your time schedule. You nagged us like a nattering magpie, made me promise, actually swear to you that we would not get sidetracked by our so called _baser_ _desires_... hypocrite much?"

Rachel was trying desperately not to blush at Santana's accusation but found herself losing the battle as she felt a flash of heat envelop her neck and travel across her face like a rolling wave.

Santana was smirking evily and the effect was sooo much more convincing with the pointy fangs that protruded from beneath her upper lip. Her face was covered in white make-up, her eyes were heavily painted with black liner and shadow. Her lips were blood red and her long dark hair was loose and wild - she was both terrifying and stunning to look upon.

"I will have nightmares." Santana continued, " My eyes, my eyes, she dramatically covered her face with pasty white hands, " I may need therapy, Britt will have to help me recover... we'll need lots and lots of...-"

"_Sexy times_" Brittany filled in then greeted her friends. "Hi Rach, you look _hot_ can I touch your horn?" She was moving toward Rachel with her hands extended before Quinn stepped in and cut her off.

"Hands off my girlfriends horn Britt," Quinn warned but her eyes were filled with laughter as she uttered the surprising command.

Santana snorted loudly and Brittany chuckled, knowing that Quinn was only kidding but a tiny part was deadly serious. She settled for not pushing the Jelly button and decided to acknowledge Quinn's costume instead.

"Hi Q. I don't know what you are but you look _Bad in Black_."

Brittany was smiling widely at the two of them, her tinfoil halo bobbing above her head keeping tempo with the vigorous nodding she was doing. The wings she wore were made of a milky, translucent gauzy material - they shimmered and sparkled with glitter, which matched the full length airy gown she was wearing.

Rachel helped her construct and design the wings but Brittany insisted on making the halo herself - hence the tinfoil, sloppily wrapped around a piece of crooked wire. The decorative contrast between the halo and her wings was notable but Rachel could only smile warmly at her 'craft challenged' friend.

Quinn finally recovered from the shock of being busted while groping Rachel - and the shock of becoming jealous because Brittany wanted to touch Rachel's horn. Oh. My. God. She shook her head to clear the crazy thoughts, tugged on her knee high boots and slipped into a flowing black waist coat. Donning a Spanish Gaucho hat to complete her costume, she nodded at Rachel to begin the briefing.

Rachel picked up her magical gold star wand and addressed her minions.

"Alright, we'll all make an appearance at the dance. Brittany will slip out at 8:45 to make ready for Stephanie at 9:00. I will slip out at 9:15 to make ready for Finn at 9:30. Santana will follow at 9:45 to prepare for David. Each of us must return to the dance after completing our first task. At 10:15 myself and Brittany will head back downstairs. Santana and Quinn will follow shortly thereafter. No one will notice our absence once the evening has progressed - as long as we have each made an effort to mingle with our friends."

"Britt is the only one that has to change out of her costume. The rest of us will stay in character. If anything goes wrong Britt, you make a run for Peter's van and drive it back here. The rest of us will find our way back to the gym. If this goes as planned neither David, Stephanie nor Finn will see any of us - at least during the kidnapping part."

The little diva stepped forward and handed each of her friends a little earpiece. Tiny, little state of the art 'communicators.' They fit within the ear like a hearing aid but were much smaller and almost invisible once in place. They could be activated by squeezing them gently until a tiny engaging click could be heard.

"Remember, do not activate until we make that first move on Stephanie. Then hold total silence unless their is an emergency. We'll all be hearing what each of the other is hearing and that will be confusing - especially for those of us who are still mingling at the dance. You will have to stay very focused. If there is an emergency the code word is ?" "**Barbara**" All four girls exclaimed in unison. "At which point we'll abort."

Rachel nodded at the three and gave them a very pointed look, as if to say - now is the time to back out if you want to. They all returned her look with stony determination.

**Act II, Scene I: Halloween - A night to Remember.**

**Halloween Dance at McKinley High**

**David Karofsky**

_David,_

_Please meet me in the Auditorium at 10 p.m. I will be on center stage. I would like to discuss the matter of your recent violent behavior towards me. I will be there by myself but I have taken precaution against you physically abusing me. If you are brave enough face me I will be waiting for you._

_Sincerely,_

_Kurt Hummel._

Invisible steam was blowing out of David Karofsky's ears. He was dressed as an Ogre, or more specifically Shrek, but he somehow managed to look a lot scarier than the animated character. He surprised everyone at the dance by showing up in a costume and took a great deal of pleasure in being able to act his Ogreish self while being dressed for the part. He liked Halloween because it gave him a good excuse to dress up and put make-up on. He really liked dressing up, and make-up. No one knew that of course, and he would most certainly pound 'anyone' into little pieces if they should ever happen to find out. Some secrets were scary even to think about.

Hummel was going to get pummeled. What kind of _precaution_ could that faggy little twerp actually take? He was going to bash that pretty little homo's face in. Karofsky marched off toward the auditorium on auto pilot, a surge of adrenalin was pumping through his veins and he wore a ghoulish smile. The few students who were loitering in the hallway outside the gym scattered in all directions, none of them wanting to catch the nasty monster's attention. He felt so powerful when people moved out of his way. All it required was for him to sneer and clench his fists.

He shoved the double doors open with unnecessary force and entered the auditorium screaming.

_"HUMMEL, I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE BUT YOU'RE DUMMER THAN I THOUGHT_. You just invited me to bash your brains in you moron."

He was stomping toward the stage but somewhat confused because the little fairy boy was no where to be seen. The little bugger was going to play with him. Fine. I'll find the little pecker and bash his head in twice for playing games with me.

The stage was dark except for one light. A spotlight was trained in the center, inviting whomever might come by to step inside its ethereal glow. David took the bait and stepped into the puddle of rose colored light. He looked at the floor first, then glanced up toward the light source, all the while he was slowly turning in that circle of filtered illumination - he could see the tiny particles of dust floating and dancing and thought that it was kind of magical.

Until the trap door released beneath him, swallowing him up like a monster. Just as he was falling he felt a tiny sting upon his ass. Owww. That was his final thought before there was only black.

_Some little time later._

" Hello David." A metallic voice whispered. He was sitting in a chair with his legs and arms secured with velcro restraints. A wheelchair. The room was dark, except for another spotlight, which was trained on him. He blinked his eyes, which were kind of hard to focus, and coughed to clear his throat. His thinking was cloudy and he felt very thirsty.

"Where am I ? Hummel I swear when I get out of this - you are so dead."

"You are in the basement storage room of the school David. And I am not Kurt Hummel. Although, I knew if I used his name when I wrote the note that you would surely go to the auditorium. Now, I will say this once and once only. If you attempt to scream or make noise of any sort I will have you gagged. That will not be comfortable for you. The gag has been treated with a very unpleasant aroma that you are quite familiar with. Do you understand me David?"

He nodded his head frantically. Anything but that. God, he could not endure that smell again.

"You know who I am David. I warned you, remember?"

Again, the voice was very metallic and sounded like a deranged serial killer robot. They were using one of those things that distorts true sounds and emits a synthesized, camouflaged reproduction of whatever sound it's filtering.

_Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh my fucking God._ "Um... yyyou're the Skunker... um the bbbbad poet." His voice was trembling and he thought he might throw up, or piss his pants, or both.

"Yes... Do you know why..yyy..yyy. I've brought you here David? To the storage room in the basement?... on _Halloween...een...een_?" Static echos resonated off the metallic voice that time - making it even more frighteningly eerie.

"You're going to kkkill me, aren't you? ... you sick pervert." Tears were streaming down his face, he could feel his make-up running - it felt like warm goo and made him think of blood. For David Karofsky everything in life was scary. He just hadn't realized until this very moment how scary his life seemed all the time. He started to sniffle at first, in an attempt to hold back the flood of emotion that was thrumming throughout his entire body. His shoulders were shaking and his chest was heaving before the enormity of his current position took its toll on him and he began to sob uncontrollably.

While he was crying a tall figure dressed in black from head to toe entered the room.

The figure was wearing heavy boots with thick heels, black sweat pants a black hoodie and a black ski mask. It walked over to him, planted its feet in front of the wheelchair he was strapped to and stared, unblinking, at him through the eye holes of that creepy knitted mask. The figure seemed huge and powerful but hadn't actually done anything but sort of loom over him. It even kept its arms behind its back, making a point to show that it would not touch him.

"You can take him to the others now. " The disembodied voice croaked at the black figure. All at once he was being wheeled out of the storage room and down an empty dark hallway to another room. The old photography lab. No one used this lab anymore because the new one on the second floor was so completely modern. This one still held the old enlargers, the chemicals and trays, the sinks and little dark closets for removing film from the camera.

The work tables had been pushed aside and in the center of the lab was a video screen. He was wheeled over and placed about five feet from the center of the screen. The dark figure glided over to one of the film closets, opened the door and wheeled out another victim. A very vampiric Santana Lopez, and she _was_ gagged. The next film closet revealed Quinn Fabray, who's costume was Zoro or something. The dark figure left the room for a moment and returned with Finn (Frankenteen) Hudson and shortly thereafter a very frustrated looking Stephanie Hanson. David couldn't tell what she was dressed as - probably the wicked witch. All of them were secured to wheel chairs with velcro restraints. Quinn and David were the only two who were not gagged. The group of five were placed in a little semi-circle around the video screen, each gaping with horrified, terrified expressions upon their faces. Except for Quinn - she looked frightened but still managed to maintain an icy calm.

"Now that we have you all together I will explain what has happened to you. And I will explain what will happen to you. You were each given a mild sedative so that I could escort you safely to this documentary film. A special first viewing for you five alone.

The sedative was administered through a tiny dart - the same type a Veterinarian would use in a tranquilizer gun to calm a wild animal so it can be treated. You may all consider me your Vet - as I intend to surely _treat_ you. It is Halloween after all." And then that scratchy, clinking, crazy disembodied voice started to giggle maniacally. Several moments passed before the echos of the insane laughter died away and their kidnapper continued with its lecture.

"The sedative will not harm you in any way. I have had you all previously tested to make sure none of you would have an allergic reaction. The only side effect is thirst. I have provided water which my associate will help you to drink before we watch the film."

At that point the tall dark figure brought out five bottles of water, neatly lined up on a tray from the cafeteria. After uncapping the bottles the figure proceeded to, one at a time - hold each bottle, gently pouring for them while they sipped and slurped their thirst away. During the time it was gently tending their needs, this dark figure was quietly staring them down - eerily unblinking - through the eye slits of that horribly awful ski mask.

David shivered and trembled, he was starting to panic with the images his mind conjured.

_Oh my God, David was thinking, we're going to get cut up into pieces by a chain saw...or, or, or... were going to be forced to cut each other up into pieces._ Judging by the big eyes and terrified expressions on the faces of the rest of the group they were all thinking the same things. Well, Santana Lopez looked like she was looking forward to whatever was going to happen. Somehow that scared him even more, especially since he could see her fangs protruding around the gag that was tied over her mouth.

Finally, after all of their thirsts were quenched, that disembodied, metallic evil voice delivered a directive before commencing with the video.

"I want you all to watch this film very carefully. When you are finished we will have a question and answer discussion. My questions and your answers... make sure you pay attention... I don't want to be disappointed by your answers."

**To Be Continued.**

_Okay, so I never got to Sue Sylvester's trap but it is connected with this scene and will get covered in the next chapter._

Oh, and sorry about chapter X disappearing last time. I had to re-upload it and I still haven't figured out what happened.

Thanks so much for continuing to read and review.


	12. Catch me if you can

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: T for now.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter XII. Catch me if you can.**

**The Film**

Kurt was slammed against his locker hard. The back of his head bounced in super slow motion before his body slumped and slid just as slowly to the floor. From this seated position against the lockers he glanced up at his attacker - his eyes welled up with tears, his chin was quivering, his face had gone pale with fear and pain. This same scene played in a loop, repeating itself five times before the film progressed forward.

There was no sound in this video, only very vivid images that were pieced together to tell a true story. A story that every member of the McKinley High School community knew to be true but denied its reality. To acknowledge these images meant to acknowledge the part one played in allowing them to happen. Whether you were standing near by watching with shock upon your face but still did nothing to intervene, or if you were watching with open fascination and didn't even know you were wearing a soulless smirk. Like Finn had on more than half of the clips that were spliced together.

The images were varied and many but the themes remained the same. Kurt being tripped, shoved, slammed multiple times into his locker with incredible force. Kurt being slushied and taunted by David Karofsky and a handful of his henchmen. The editor took the liberty of zooming in on the faces of each boy. Karofsky looked like an ape. He puffed up his chest and clenched is fists, his face was red, his mouth was twisted into a sneer exposing his teeth in a feral grin. It was frightening to look upon at such a close proximity. The other boys faces had similar expressions and it was clear they deferred to David. Their responses and behavior mirrored what their leader was doing. The clever way this footage unfolded made that abundantly clear. At the bottom of the screen a line of text was written in bold letters.

**David Karofsky 6' tall, 190 pounds. Kurt Hummel 5'5" tall, 130 pounds. **

The images of Kurt Hummel being abused slowly segued into other similar images that were not as violent but every bit as shocking and disturbing to watch. Stephanie Hanson walking down the hall, stalking a young freshmen student on her way to class. Her name was Cindy Bingham, known to be shy but tremendously gifted in science and math. Cindy was clasping her books tightly to her chest and staring at the floor with her shoulders hunched while she walked. She was visibly flinching as she got closer to the camera view. Behind her Stephanie towered and it was apparent that she was taunting the young girl from behind.

Cindy stopped walking, whether it was because of something Stephanie had said, or because she was terribly frightened. Beautiful Stephanie Hanson, wearing her bright Red and Black and White Cheerio uniform, took this opportunity to step in front of Cindy - she leaned over the shaking freshmen and whispered something apparently vile. Tears were streaming down Cindy's face and finally, like a frightened, quivering filly, she bolted.

Stephanie stuck her leg out and Cindy tripped, sprawling down onto the hard floor, her books and papers scattering in all directions. The hall was full of students going to class. Many of them laughed, some of them pointed and laughed, while others turned away pretending not to see. Some had horrified expressions, some looked sympathetic but no one stopped to help the girl. No one offered their hand, to help her up from the floor. No one picked up her books. And, of course, the non existent "No One" uttered a word to chastise Stephanie - who strode away laughing with a pack of nasty Cheerio's at her heel.

There were multiple scenes of Stephanie harassing Cindy, and also a small boy named Giles she had targeted. A freshmen boy who was very much like Kurt but lacked his (former) unflappable confidence. Stephanie slushied Giles on a daily basis - so often that it was unnecessary for the editor to create a loop to get the desired shocking repetitive affect. The sophomore Cheerio's eyes gleamed as she slammed the poor boy with slushie after slushie day after day.

The first few clips showed the boy trying to evade her, slip away unnoticed, even running away at times. But Stephanie relentlessly chased him down and doused him thoroughly. Finally, by the end of the sequence of clips - the boy resigned himself to to stand in place. He crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. But Stephanie was a true masochist. She would watch him with his eyes scrunched tightly together, wait with him, hovering, holding that giant cup above the boys head; until he got impatient and cracked his eyelids just a bit - to see what was holding up the show. And in that instant, wearing an expression of absolute triumph she would strike like a viper - flinging the ice cold drink with spiteful force into the helpless boys face.

The final vignette showed a very cocky Quinn Fabray strutting down the hall with Santana Lopez right beside her - each of them carrying big gulp slushies. They marched up to Rachel Berry, who was standing at her locker putting her books away. Quinn tapped Rachel on the shoulder, the tiny diva turned around curiously, only to receive a face full of Cherry slushie. A double shot, one from Santana and one from Quinn simultaneously.

The two Cheerio's dropped their cups at Rachel's feet and marched down the hall as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Quinn turned around and said something that was obviously filled with venom because her facial expression was that of hateful contempt.

Rachel stood motionless for a moment, not responding at all. And then, her shoulders slumped, she wiped her face to clear the ice cold goo away from her eyes, and then she started to cry. She dug inside her locker and pulled out a bag with spare clothes and a towel - her slushie kit. Finn Hudson was down the hall watching the scene from a safe distance. He had that little amused smirk upon his face. He shook his head and walked away without a second glance. The camera zoomed in on Finn during this scene, showing his stupid, evil grin up close.

All through the movie the images were sequenced to repeat multiple times upon the first view of a new scene. At the finale, the editor linked all of them together so every individual act of abuse ran back to back. The images erupted all over the screen like a volcano spewing red hot lava.

The final scenes were of Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez laughing, strutting away in their Cheerio uniforms. David Karofsky body checking Kurt Hummel into a locker. Stephanie Hanson spooning mashed potatoes into Cindy Bingham's hair in the cafeteria. And, last but not least, Finn Hudson wearing that smug little smirk. The bold caption at the bottom of the screen read:

**Welcome to McKinley High School where the students strive for Excellence. **

Followed by the credits, which were not really credits.

This documentary film will be submitted to the following film festivals, Prime Time News programs, and talk shows.

Sundance, Cannes, Cyprus International Short Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Calgary Underground, Castle Rock, Chicago International Film Festival, Tribeca, San Francisco International Film Festival,Toronto, New York Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival.

Oprah Winfrey, Ellen, Dr Phil, , Nancy Grace, Rachel Maddow, Anderson Cooper, Bill Maher, NightLine. And about a hundred more that would be too tedious to list.

_**Congratulations, you are all going to be very famous. Your parents will be so proud.**_

_Fade to Black._

The lights were dimmed during the viewing. There hadn't been much light in the room before the presentation, but now, with the screen turned off - the room seemed to swallow them in pitch black. They were left in the dark to sit with their thoughts for several moments.

The tall dark figure returned to the room. They couldn't see it but knew it was there when they heard the door open and the footfalls from the heavy boots it was wearing. It walked over to the desk in the corner and turned the lamp back on. It stood near the desk with its hands behind its back at attention and waited - staring them all down.

A moment later the pycho who had kidnapped them, the lunatic with the freaky metallic voice spoke to them again. The altered speech patterns, the rusty, electronic sounding words, echoed around the room from every direction - making them every bit as frightened as they had been earlier.

"My associate will remove the gags from those of you who are wearing them. I trust that you will contain yourselves while we discuss this film. If any one of you attempts to scream out, or create a distraction, you will be immediately gagged again. You will not be able to defend yourself and you will lose your opportunity to have your role in this movie removed. Nod if you understand me."

Five heads nodded frantically in unison.

**Rachel**

Rachel was in the janitors closet on the third floor. She was seated on an overturned bucket working on her laptop computer. She had four split screens to view. Two from the cameras in the photo lab, one from the camera in the storage room, and one from the camera in Sue Sylvester's office. That camera was equipped with a microphone - it was a bit more expensive than the others but served her purposes nicely as she was able to hear, as well as see, all of Caoch Sylvester's conversations. She had set that camera up on the Sunday evening after the football game; knowing the irascible Cheer leading coach would be on a vendetta to catch whomever was behind the pranks. Rachel would not be left in the dark where Sue Sylvester was concerned.

The Coach was an egomaniac, her office was covered with so many trophies, banners, plaques, and knickknacks - all of them lauding the greatness that was Sue Sylvester. With so much shiny clutter in the room it was easy to find a place to hide her camera. She positioned the little camera inside the tummy of a stuffed Bulldog that sat on a shelf, neglected, covered in dust and looking truly dejected. Of everything in the room it was obviously the thing that Sue rarely touched or cared for. The little Bulldog had an excellent view of Sue's desk, however, so Rachel took the opportunity to make him useful.

Currently, while Rachel's movie was being viewed in the old photography lab, Coach Sylvester was having a heated conversation with her 'Spy.' A man who called himself Tinker. The guy was a big lug. He was huge, tall like a giant, well muscled and intimidating to look at. He had long dark hair, which he braided tightly and bound with a silver ring clasp.

Tinker sneaked about the school with his hands stuffed in his pockets - like he was afraid to touch anything, as if whatever he touched might shatter into a hundred pieces.. He acted like a large man who was clumsy and could knock things over just by looking at them. He refused to make eye contact with anyone while wandering the halls and slipping into classrooms to observe. His presence had become accepted and unquestioned by the student body almost over night.

Tinker was like a real live ghost; he roamed the halls of McKinley at will, never speaking or interacting with the students and soon was wholly ignored. His demeanor was careful, cautious, almost like a mouse - his nose twitched and his ears wiggled as he scurried throughout the hallways to find that elusive piece of cheese. Rachel was the cheese. She decided that Tinker was a very apt name for such a towering pile of nervous incompetence. This was Sue Sylvesters master spy? She had really enjoyed listening to these little meetings that Sue and Tinker held each evening after her Cheerio practice.

Rachel had to admit that the scheme they created to flush her out was quite brilliant. She knew it was all Sue of course. Tinker had the gear and the connections to the underground world of amateurs in espionage. But, Sue Sylvester had the brains. She was using Tinker for his resources and nothing more - he was just another toady she could boss around, which made Rachel's job so much easier than she had dared to hope for. She would take their bait at school on Monday. Spring the trap they set. After this evening, if things went well with David and the others she would have three new stage managers for her Play.

Smiling with that thought, Rachel tuned in to the conversation in Sue Sylvesters office. There was still seven minutes left to play on her film before she needed to address her little audience in the photography lab. She plugged an earphone in to listen so she wouldn't overload Brittany with the background noise from her computer. They all still had their ear pieces in and might get confused by hearing Sue Sylvester's voice.

Tinker was insisting that something funny was happening at the dance.

"I'm telling you Sue, something is going down at this dance. Kids keep wandering down to the Auditorium and they don't come back. That Karofsky boy was the last. Every time I sneak in there to see what's going on they're already gone. They go in and they don't come out. And, say... do they keep a spot light on in there at night or is it just for this Halloween thing?

"What are you blathering about? No they do not keep the spot lights on. Those are very expensive and consume an enormous amount of electricity. Those idiots on the School Board, and Figgins never listen to me. That glee club uses up more juice in one performance than my Cheerio's do in a whole season." Sue's eyes grew very big with that last thought. She had another piece of ammo to sling and William and his gargling grumpkins.

" Thanks for the tip Tinker Bell, I had forgotten to remind Figgins of those greedy gleeks gorging on kilowatts while the rest of us preserve and conserve. Did you know I make my girls start practice at 6:00 a.m.? Outside! We never use the stadium lights. I make them find their way in the dark, if an ankle gets twisted or a ligament strained, all the more reason for...-"

"_COACH! _ I don't give a flying fuck about your electric bill. Why is there a spotlight on in the Auditorium at this hour? And the name is Tinker, _not_ Tinker Bell."

"No need to get so testy Tink Tink, you have to agree it's a horrible name. How many times a day to you have to defend your ludicrous moniker?" Sue sneered and mimicked the poor man. " _'And the name is Tinker, not Tinker Bell.' _Do you know how massively moronic you sound? My God man, grow a pair and change your name to Buster, or Chip, or freaken _MAD DOG_. Have some confidence!" Sue pounded her fist on her desk, stood up to straighten the Black and Orange Adidas sweat suit she was wearing before declaring with a smirk. "Now, lets go check out this illicit illumination in the auditorium. "

With that said, Sue Sylvester and Tinker(Bell) departed the office on route to the auditorium.

Rachel was relieved she had turned the spot light off a half an hour after David had been taken. At this point in the Scene, Brittany was the only one in danger of being caught. Quinn and Santana were neatly planted as victims. She was safely ensconced in her third floor office (janitors closet) far away from the events unfolding on the basement floor. When the film was finished playing Rachel decided she would send Brittany out of harms way.

"Britt..." Rachel whispered, knowing that Brittany could hear her perfectly with her earpiece.

"Rach?" Came the reply.

"After the film is done playing, wait for two minutes then go back in and turn the desk lamp on. Stare at them all for a minute or two, remove the gags and then leave. Take the dart gun with you, make sure you have it loaded and the safety released. Coach and Tinker are on the prowl. I want you safely out of there. I can finish with them from here and make sure that they get discovered."

"Are you sure Rach? I don't like leaving San and Quinn like that."

"Its okay Britt. I promise they will be released in just a little while but you have to get out of there now. I have no idea where Coach is right now. I don't want her and that oaf stumbling into that room with you still there. Don't hesitate to shoot them with the dart gun if they do - they won't get hurt they will just sit down wherever they are and fall asleep for ten minutes - just like the others did. Okay Britt?"

"Alright...(sad sigh)... Rach?"

"Yeah?"

"That was kind of fun but I felt bad when David cried...it made me feel mean like him."

Sigh.

"Me too Britt. I'm sorry. We'll talk about it later okay? Just get out of there. The film is almost done. Remember, make them wait two minutes, go in and stare at them for another minute, remove the gags and then take Peter's van and go back to my house. Promise me Britt?"

"I promise...love you Rach... see you back at the '_Ranch_'...over and out."

Rachel smiled at Brittany's reference to the 'Ranch'. She and Santana weren't done wearing out the wild horses metaphor yet and Rachel's home and workshop had become the 'Ranch' and 'Stable'. Harumph! But she smiled anyway at Brittany's other sentiment. The blonde Cheerio was so incredibly sweet and loving that Rachel just basked in her presence at times.

"Love you too Britt...now get going - the film is finished playing...over and out."

Rachel clicked her earpiece communicator off. Santana and Quinn would hear her loud and clear and didn't need the echo resounding in their ears. She plugged her microphone back in to her computer and turned the voice modification software back on.

**David, Finn, Stephanie, Quinn, and Santana**

The dark figure had left the room as soon as it removed the gags. Then that disembodied, synthetic voice started a long rambling rant. They were all paying attention, however, they couldn't afford not to.

"I have two hundred DVD copies of this film already addressed and sealed in envelopes. I have four hundred more that I haven't had the time to package yet, but believe me when I say this - they will all be mailed in a timely fashion."

"Every parent in this High School will get a copy. The county prosecutor, the Judge, our local Representatives in the house and also the state Senators. The Governor of Ohio and the President of the United States are all getting copies. You see, these people have all made promises that students will be safe within the hallways of their schools. That students will get a quality education in a safe and nurturing environment. I intend to show them, and this whole country, that they have failed miserably. "

"You five pathetic examples are just the tip of the iceberg but this little documentary tells a true story. A story that most people would rather not know about but will be shocked and angry when they see it. Your high school careers are over. I warned you. I warned all of you. I gave you the opportunity to change. All that was required was that you behave like civil human beings. You were not even required to be nice, but to stop being mean."

"And now, you sit there quivering in your boots. Scared little rabbits because you are at the mercy of someone else for a change. David bawled like a baby and he still has tears streaming down his face."

"Tell me David, how does it feel to be the one being picked on? The one who is afraid? Do you like it David? "

The boy bully was staring at his lap and swinging his head back and forth in an exaggerated no. Tears were pouring off his chin and making a puddle on his tattered Shrek trousers.

"No...I ddddon't like it. But it isn't fair what you did. You drugged me. If I wasn't tied up I could beat you up. You chh...ch..cheated. " David wailed and started to sob again.

Silence...

Except for the crying bully. Everyone but Finn was staring at him with shocked expressions on their faces. Finn was looking irritated.

" I think now would be the time for anyone else who has a complaint to address it before we continue. David has clearly pointed out that he was duped. I do agree with him. I did cheat by using a dart to disable all of you. Who else has a complaint?" The voice asked. If it was at all possible for a scary serial killer, metallic psycho voice to sound amused - their crazy kidnapper's tone was one crackle away from cackling.

Finn took the opportunity to blurt out his frustration.

" I get why you took Santana and Quinn, and David... and even Stephanie after watching your movie...bbbut ... I don't get why you are punishing me? What did I do? None of those pictures showed me pushing, or throwing slushies or even trying to ttto be meant to anyone. I was always just standing around watching. I don't get it...what did I do? Huh? It isn't fair. What did I do you bbb...big hypo...hypo...something?"

Chilling, scraping, clanging giggles filled the room.

"You did absolutely nothing Finn Hudson. NOTHING at all. You stood there and smirked while others got harassed and tortured. You are the most popular boy in school. You are aware of your influence on other students and you did - as you say yourself - _NOTHING_. Nothing to help kind, shy Cindy when Stephanie tripped her. You smirked. Nothing to stop David from pounding on Kurt - Kurt your stepbrother and teammate in glee. You smirked. You even did _NOTHING_ when your own girlfriend was attac...-"

"She's not my girlfriend anymore." Finn interrupted as though that was the only thing he had heard.

"You have no idea what a sniveling coward you are do you Finn Hudson?"

"I still don't get it. So I didn't do anything to stop the bullies... that's what the teachers are for and the principal. I don't want to damage my reputation by standing up for the losers of the school. That's not my job it's their job. You can't blame me for what these assholes do."

Finn jerked his head at the others in the room and gave them all the stink eye. He was pissed at all of them. It was their fault for getting him into this mess.

Stephanie felt betrayed by Finn's response. They were supposed to be dating and he was blaming her instead of standing up for her. The 'psycho' was right, he was a coward. She sneered at Finn before clearing her throat to speak her mind. Stephanie's voice had a velvety clear timbre when she spoke - it was deceivingly alluring.

"I agree if people see this film my life will become very hard. Harder than its ever been. All I wanted was to become a Cheerio and be like her." She nodded at Quinn when she said this.

"I knew that being a Cheerio would make me popular and school would be easier for me. So I watched Quinn...and Santana. I knew I would have to do some mean things to establish myself early on. Quinn was the youngest girl to ever be appointed Captain and she did that by being ruthless. I wanted what she has. I...I... I ddd..didn't think anyone cared. No one told me to stop. Everybody laughed. I don't get what the big deal is? None of those kids are really hurt. They still come to school every day. Who cares about them anyway? "

Silence...

"I care."

Quinn stated quite clearly. She hadn't wanted to go through with the slushie scene. Rachel had several clips of herself being slushied but they were all from the cameras point of view. It would be obvious to anyone who watched the film who the videographer was if Rachel used any of that footage. So, Quinn and Santana agreed to slushie Rachel in the hallway just three days ago. Brittany filmed the whole thing wearing a duck sweater that Rachel placed her camera eyes on. They made sure to time it so Finn would be near by.

Watching the film that Rachel created was devastating to Quinn. She knew what to expect because Rachel had shown her bits and pieces but seeing the images as a whole was very painful. Remorse seemed like a wimpy word to her. What she was feeling was utter shame. The shame of her past behavior and what it had inspired. She was furious with Stephanie for not seeing the vileness of her behavior. Stephanie was right, of course, that Quinn had been her role model. But the girl didn't see how wrong and sick it all was. What the fuck was wrong with everyone? Rachel was right. These were the worst of the worst and Quinn belonged in this room for helping to create these monsters.

Tears were streaming down her face and she turned to look at the rest of them. Santana's eyes had also welled up.

"I care Stephanie and I can't believe you watched this film and your only conce...-"

Stephanie scoffed at Quinn. "Yeah right Fabray. You care like the rest of us do. Because you got caught. That's all you care about. Just tell us what you want you psycho nut job and let us go." Stephanie was yelling at the ceiling and the corners of the room - every direction she thought the voice was coming from. "I'll do whatever you say this time. I know the power a video has and I don't want to get expelled or have the crazy paparazzi stalking me to find out why I'm such a bitch."

"Shut your f_ucking _mouth Hanson. I swear to God I'll pull your perfect teeth out one at a time with a pair of pliers if you ever interrupt Quinn again." Santana was screaming and struggling with her restraints. Her fangs looked very fierce and real coupled with the intensity of her dark eyed glare. Stephanie clamped her mouth shut and visibly recoiled from the angry Latina.

**"ENOUGH!" **The 'voice' shouted into the room. I'm very disappointed by your answers. I had hoped that this video would have an impact on you. That you would see the suffering you cause. But all you do is point and blame and not take responsibility for your behavior."

"When this video gets released I assure you - each of you will get a visit from the police. Each of your actions are defined as assault. A felony crime. This video is documented proof of your crimes. You will be expelled from this school. David will probably get some time in a juvenile detention facility. Stephanie, you may as well. You don't even know do you Stephanie? That Cindy broke her wrist when she fell upon the floor that day. Do you still not care? Quinn and Santana will probably get a warning from the court and have to do some community service. Finn won't get punished by the authorities but he will be known all over the country as the biggest, coward quarterback in high school football history. His life as a popular jock will be over."

"Now, as to my own crimes. I have drugged you all with a sedative. I kidnapped you. I terrorized you. The legal term is terroristic threatening. My crimes are much more serious in a court of law than those that you committed. If caught, I will go to prison for a very long time for what I have done to you five this evening. And yet - I feel no remorse. I look at you all and feel only...disgust."

Silence...

The five of them had enough sense to look chagrined. They couldn't look one another in the eye but each stared at their laps or at the floor. Faces were flushed with embarrassment. Maybe some of it was sinking in. Maybe.

"David said I cheated and it wasn't fair how he was tricked." The voice continued relentlessly.

"He's right. I did trick you all. It is Halloween after all. Now I'm going to give you all a treat. I thought the film would suffice but it failed to get your attention."

Another long pause.

"I'll tell you what I don't think is fair. I don't think it's fair that Kurt Hummel has made arrangements to transfer to Dalton Academy because he's afraid to come to school at McKinley High. I don't think it's fair that Cindy Bingham has to see a therapist once a week because she can't sleep at night. She has nightmares about Stephanie Hanson beating her up and tripping her. I don't think it's fair that Rachel Berry and Giles Deroche have to pack two spare sets of clothes for school every day. I don't think it's fair that you five people get to run this school without forethought or care. You behave like thoughtless, rampaging animals - like rabid beasts. So here is your treatment."

"You are all relieved of your duties as bullies and cowards. I will be in charge of bullying and bravery now. You will have one week starting Monday. If, on Friday, I see or hear that any one of you has harassed, stalked, verbally assaulted or abused any person in this school during this week I will contact the police. I will send the videos out en masse."

"On Friday, you will each receive an email with instructions from me. You will be my helpers for the rest of this school year. You will do as I say. If any one of you refuses to follow these instructions - all of you will suffer the consequences. None of you will attempt to transfer out of this school. If I find that such has been arranged the film will be released."

"Nod if you understand these terms. "

Five heads nodded in unison.

"You can add Blackmail to the list of my crimes." The 'voice' chortled metallically with this afterthought and then it finished with a final declaration and a piece of advice.

"This is truly your last chance. I suggest you all enter some type of therapy for your behavioral problems. You all need help. I know you may not want to take the advice of someone who has drugged you, kidnapped you, dyed you, skunked you, terrorized you, and is now blackmailing you... but I really do have your best interests at heart. Happy Halloween...Click."

The voice was gone and they were left to sit in the room and stare at one another.

No one felt like talking. David was weeping silently. Stephanie was muttering under her breath. Finn was shaking his head in disbelief.

The Vampire and Guy Fawkes stared at Frankenteen, the Wicked Witch, and Ogre Shrek with frustration and a great deal of sadness. How could they be so blind?

**Brittany**

Brittany promised Rachel that she would go back to the '_Ranch_' as soon as she left the room. She really meant to keep her promise and she intended to leave in just another minute. She pressed her ear against the door of the old photo lab and listened intently to Rachel's scratchy disguised voice. She wanted to hear what Rachel was going to say about the movie. The movie was soooooo sad. She cried through most of it and she knew what it was going to be about but, still, she cried. She had even seen many of the things that happened in real life. But somehow, the way Rachel put the pictures all together like that - made everything more real. It all seemed bigger and worse because the film made them happen all at once, instead of just a day at a time...

Completely caught up in listening to Rachel talk, Brittany lost track of time and what she had promised. She was so entranced by the drama unfolding behind the door that she failed to notice the soft voices that were making their way from the storage room down to the photo lab.

"Hey!" A male voice shouted at her from down the long darkened corridor.

Brittany turned to see a very big, aggressive looking Tinker. Behind him, in the shadows, was Coach Sylvester.

"Oh, oh." Brittany muttered to herself before she took action.

Still completely disguised in her 'dark figure' costume, she started to run at full speed toward the duo near the end of that long hallway.

"What in hell do you think you are doing?" Sue Sylvester shouted at the sprinting figure who was charging toward them at incredible speed.

Two thirds of the way down the hall Brittany performed a round-off back handspring combination. A powerful tumbling move that had Tinker and Coach diving for the decks. They were both down on the floor wearing exasperated expressions as Brittany finished her second back hand spring and stuck the landing perfectly. She bowed politely to both of them and then she fled.

"What the hell?" She could hear Tinker exclaim in the distance. Still, she ran like the wind, she knew he would chase her and that Coach would probably stay behind to find out what was happening in that old photo lab. That was good because Coach could set San and Quinn free. They would all be back at the 'Ranch' soon. This was the best Halloween ever. Sort of. Except for the movie part and the David crying part. But it was really fun to be a scary ninja - she liked that way better than the angel costume.

Brittany was running, all the while her stream of consciousness thoughts floated through her mind and suddenly she was in the parking lot at the McDonalds across the street from the school. She looked over her shoulder to see if Tinker had followed - knowing that big goon could never catch her up, but she needed to make sure that she had lost him. Noting that the _coast was clear_ in all directions, she pulled off her knitted beanie, climbed into Peter's van and decided to wait for Rachel.

**Quinn and Rachel**

Quinn held Rachel while she wept. The tiny diva had crawled into her lap upon the bed and burst into tears. The events of the evening had finally taken their toll on her girlfriend. Quinn knew it would happen. It had happened to her earlier after watching the film and listening to those three morons.

Sigh.

They all returned safely from the Halloween dance and greeted Rachel's Dads with happy smiles and boring stories about the variety of costumes and the type of music that was played. Rachel made up the song list off the top of her head. Quinn just gaped at her girlfriends agile mind and her deft ability to lie so blandly and believably after the hellish night they had all just experienced.

Oh My God. Was all that she could think as she watched her adorable _Unicorn Princess _play with her horn while she dissembled in front of her Dad and Daddy.

Brittany completely ignored Rachel's orders and waited in the van until she saw Rachel depart from the school. She didn't want Rachel to walk home in the dark on Halloween. Rachel couldn't ride with San and Quinn because that would look too weird. Besides, San and Quinn got held up by Sue Sylvester's interrogation. So, Britt and Rachel got home first and were in the middle of making up stories when Santana and Quinn arrived an hour later. Hiram and Leroy decided it was much too late for Santana and Brittany to be driving and invited them to stay in the guest room. All the girls were told to call their parents and inform them of the sleep over.

And now, Rachel was crying.

Her little body heaved and shook as the intense emotions of the evening overwhelmed her conscious. As much as she pretended during her performance - not to care; that what she was doing would not affect her emotionally - she was wrong. Rachel was plagued with guilt about how she treated those assholes. Especially David. She decided that if she had to pick between Kurt and David she would choose Kurt every single time. Someone had to make David stop and Rachel decided that she would do what needed to be done. Her decision to finally go through with this part of her Play was based upon Kurt's announcement that he was transferring to Dalton.

They had showered and dressed in sweats and tee shirts for bedtime. Quinn propped the pillows up, leaned against the headboard and waited for Rachel to finish her night time ablutions. Quinn knew that Rachel was on the edge of a major diva breakdown. She could read it on her face; her bottom lip protruded, her chin was quivering and those beautiful deep brown eyes were filled with a heart wrenching sadness.

And now, Rachel was crying.

Quinn pulled her closer yet. She twined her legs as well as her arms around her precious, sensitive girlfriend. Rachel was gasping for breath and hiccoughing into her chest.

"Shssssh... baby. I've got you. I won't let you go, just let it all out now Rach... I've got you. I love you Rach." Quinn whispered into Rachels tangled hair. Again and again she chanted words of comfort and love. Her voice was low, she spoke in a rhythm and she repeated the same things over and over. All the while she was rubbing Rachel's back in soothing circles.

"I've got you Rach. It'll be okay, I promise. I love you Rach. I'm so proud of you and what you've done. Don't feel bad Rach. They needed to see the film. Shssssh... baby. I've got you. I won't let you go. Just let it all out now Rach...I've got you. I love you Rach. I love you so, so much. "

" I...I.. I love you too. "

Rachel stuttered those words into Quinn's chest. She lifted her head, her eyes were puffy and still leaking tears but she managed a shy smile. She really loved Quinn. So, so, so very much. And for the first time she was brave enough to tell her.

"I love you Quinn... I love you too."

**To Be Continued.**

_The next chapter will be much brighter with a huge progression in the Faberry romance. Also Act II, Scene II will be revealed. Hope you stick around to see what happens._

_Thanks so much to those of you who have left me a note of encouragement._


	13. Acts of Confession

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Note the Rating Change. _

**Chapter XIII. Acts of Confession**

_" I...I.. I love you too. "_

_Rachel stuttered those words into Quinn's chest. She lifted her head, her eyes were puffy and still leaking tears, but she managed a shy smile. She really loved Quinn. So, so, so, very much. And for the first time she was brave enough to tell her._

_"I love you Quinn... I love you too."_

Quinn's heart squeezed tight and her eyes welled up with tears. She had known for quite some time how Rachel felt. She also understood why Rachel needed to withhold from saying those words to her. Trust. And Rachel had every reason in the world to be wary of trusting Quinn considering their history. So Quinn had been content to wait. She wanted to wait. Well, her body didn't, but she did want to do everything right so Rachel would feel safe with her. So Rachel would believe in Quinn's love for her.

It had been unbearably painful to reign in her desires when she and Rachel were alone together. Each time she wanted to consume the girl. Eat her up like candy, like ice cream. Devour that incredibly gorgeous body, crawl inside her skin, meld their passions together, allow that spark to ignite into one giant exploding supernova. Rachel had been relentless in her persuit. She teased. She pouted. She begged. She wanted. And Quinn had wanted too. But she did not want to cross that line with Rachel without knowing that Rachel was really ready for that type of intimacy. And, Quinn knew, that if Rachel didn't feel safe enough with Quinn to speak her feelings than she really didn't feel safe enough for them to become lovers.

Their mutual attraction and passion was evident. That was not a problem. But Quinn cared too deeply for Rachel to take advantage when it was obvious, to her at least, that Rachel still did not wholly trust her. So, Quinn waited. Painfully at times because her arousal was so intense that holding back was extremely (physically) uncomfortable. She waited, because to not wait would be another betrayal to the girl she adored with all her heart and soul. Even if, Rachel didn't understand it at the time; Quinn knew, from her own experience, that making love was deeply personal - something to be shared with one you trust completely and one you truly love. She didn't want Rachel to make the same mistake that she had. Get caught up in a passionate moment and later regret, or discover that feeling passion does not equate to feeling love.

Rachel's face was inches away from hers, her deep brown eyes were boring holes into Quinn's soul. A look of wonder flickered across those tear stained features and then those soft, soft lips were caressing hers with gentle tenderness. _Oh, oh. I don't think I can stop myself anymore - not after she said that. She really does love me. Now is not the time to get horny Quinn! She is very sad and upset right now. You can wait a little longer._

Rachel's hand had slipped under her tee shirt and was stroking her abdomen, creating steaming, swirling circles of desire that were focused just a bit lower all of the sudden. _Oh My God. _Rachel's tongue had found its way into her mouth. _When did that happen? _Suddenly the gentle kiss had escalated. "mmmmm." _Who said that?_ And Quinn realized, they both had moaned together.

Pulling back for a moment, gasping for breath and breaking the kiss to look into her girlfriends eyes. Quinn grasped Rachel's shoulders gently, steadying the panting diva. That deep brown gaze was nearly black, her pupils were huge and that ever present sparkle that always shone so bright - gleamed with a heady hunger.

"Rach?"

"Please Quinn? " Rachel's voice was cracking with emotion. " I need you...I need you to touch me...I love you and I want you...I want you to love me."

"Baby are you sure about this? You're so upset right now, it might not be the best time..-"

Quinn was silenced by Rachel's mouth. The kiss was feverish, Rachel climbed up Quinn's body and pinned her to the pillows, straddling her waist with both legs and clasping her shoulders with tiny determined hands. Her mouth was everywhere. Biting and nipping a trail along the line of Quinn's jaw. Sucking on her earlobe before laying another trail of open mouth kisses down her neck. She stopped at Quinn's pulse point biting down hard before licking it gently with her tongue. All at once her lips were gentle again, and tender, her tongue was begging an entrance and Quinn would not deny her.

Clothes were stripped away and suddenly they were naked sliding their bodies together, creating friction and heat, touching every soft crevice and smooth plane, exploring every curve, caressing, kissing and tasting. The barriers were broken and stripped away.

Rachel was overwhelmed with emotion. The years of treading deep and troubling waters to keep herself afloat, the months of pent up passion, the sudden inexplicable joyful release of being brave and free to love - could no longer be contained.

Quinn was soft curves and hard taught muscles. She was smooth and creamy on the surface and warm and wet and velvety soft inside. She tasted of sweet fruit that Rachel had no name for - her scent was enticingly spicy. All of her schemes, all her detailed seductions were tossed aside without a thought or care.

This was Quinn. Quinn was deep inside her, rocking her, stroking her, tasting her, kissing her deeply... -

This was Rachel deep inside her, stroking her, tasting her, kissing her senseless - breaching her core...-

She could feel herself contract inside - the tightening of walls, the quaking, quivering, building up of pressure.

They could feel themselves summiting the peak; clasping each other tightly, gasping, leaping off together, screaming - free falling, igniting, exploding into blinding light - a giant burning supernova.

And Rachel was crying.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as Rachel wept with joy. Quinn was licking the salty drops and kissing across her brow, murmuring 'I love you.' Rachel sought that tender mouth, tasting salt, dancing her tongue across the bottom lip, biting and sucking... moaning into Quinn's mouth and starting the passion anew.

All that was left were two young women, baring their hearts and souls, exposing their vulnerable selves - sharing their passions, fulfilling needs and exploring their love.

**Santana and Brittany**

"San?"

"Grumble."

Santana's head was buried by her pillow, she was laying face down upon the bed, dying to sleep just a little longer. They hadn't slept at all last night. She and Brittany kept each other busy for quite some time but then they both collapsed. Exhausted from their emotional evening at the dance and then their own late night activities. However, after she and Britt snuggled up and prepared themselves for sleep, they heard the noises.

Berry's room was supposed to be soundproof, wasn't it? Damn, I warned Quinn she was in for the ride of her life when she decided to take on the smurf. Trying to not listen when someone else is having sex is almost impossible. She and Brittany stared at one another with big eyes for quite some time trying not to listen.

Holy Christ. Santana was praying that Rachel's dads couldn't hear them from downstairs. Their bedroom was on the other side of the house thank God. Quinn mentioned that the Mr. Berry's were okay with she and Rachel dating but had been fairly firm with Quinn about keeping her paws off the virginal package. From the sounds of things, Quinns 'paws' were getting down and dirty. Which was why Santana had buried her head beneath the pillow.

"San." Brittany persisted. "I think Rachel's dads are up. I can hear them downstairs and I can smell breakfast. I think we should go in and make sure Rachel and Quinn are...um... you know covered up and light a pretty smelling candle. Rachel's Daddy always wakes her up for breakfast on the weekend. I don't think it would be a good idea for him to go in that room right now. Sexy times make sexy smells and they were sexy all night long...I don't want Rach to get in trouble. Quinn either."

"Groan...Sigh... hmmph." Santana finally sat up and wiped the sleep out of her eyes before smiling warmly at Brittany for being so thoughtful.

"You're right Britt, but I don't really want to walk in there after what we had to listen to all freakin night. I guess it would be worse for them if it was one of the Mr. Berry's though, wouldn't it?

Brittany nodded.

"Fine, put your jammie's back on Britt and we'll go say good morning to the _Stud_ and her _Wild Pony_."

"San!"

**Rachel, Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Hiram Berry**

Dressed in matching McKinley High cheerio tee shirts and black gym shorts, the girls from the guest room wandered across the hall to the diva's bedroom. Santana knocked lightly on Rachel's door. Nothing. She waited a moment and then tapped a little harder. Still nothing.

"San, don't you remember our first time? We stayed up all night too. And my mom swore she knocked a bunch of times before she came in?"

Santana nodded slowly and flushed with the memory of Brittany's mother standing above them, wearing a very curious expression upon her face. Santana and Brittany were both naked - twisted up in the sheets and each other like a giant pretzel. Britt's mom had been amazingly cool about the whole thing. She was grinning kind of ghoulishly at them - really enjoying the frozen moment of panic, shock, embarrassment and mortification. There were not enough words to describe how utterly awful it was to wake up to your girlfriends mothers face - staring at your naked body, twisted tightly together with her daughters naked body. UGH.

Well, Santana imagined, the only worse thing could be to wake up to your girlfriends fathers face. And no matter how cool Berry's dads seemed - she was pretty sure they wouldn't be smiling at Quinn if they found her naked in bed with their with their precious, virgin (not any more) baby girl.

"Let's just go in San. They aren't going to hear the knock. They're either still doing it or they finally passed out."

Santana bobbed her head in agreement. Sigh.

"Alright Britt, let's get this over with... you go first, I have to cover my eyes. I don't think I can handle seeing a naked Wild Berry.

"San, don't be silly. Rachel is so _hot, _I wanna see!"

Brittany opened the door softly and padded quietly into the room with Santana right behind her. Both Cheerio's stopped dead in their tracks, almost afraid to move further into the room with what they saw before them.

The morning sunlight filtered through the blinds of Rachel's windows, bathing the room in warm and gentle tones. Feathery bands of golden rays painted a scene that belonged in a museum.

Rachel was partially draped over Quinn, who was laying flat on her back with one arm wrapped around the tiny diva. Her other arm was lazily crooked above her head. Her golden hair was tousled, her wrist was resting upon her brow - as if to block the morning light from invading the private moment. Rachel's left leg spanned the width of both of Quinn's. Her left arm was snuggled tightly around Quinn's waist and her head was placed between Quinn's breasts - the perfect pillow. Rachel's, dark rich mane was splayed upon flawless porcelain skin.

The sheets were twisted about in elegant folds covering bits and pieces of flesh, but only enough to make the scene look perfectly contrived. A Master painter could not have posed the girls so naturally and beautifully.

The blissful couple slept peacefully; each wearing the most serene, relaxed, content expressions that Santana had ever seen.

"Maybe we should just leave them alone." Santana whispered into Brittany's ear.

Brittany stood immobile in a trance. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were wide with wonder. A single tear pooled in the corner of her eye, then slowly trickled down her cheek.

"They're so beautiful together San." Brittany softly sighed - she shook her head slightly. "No, lets just find Rachel's scented candles in the bathroom and a body spray. We can be quiet. We'll light the candles and spray that Vanilla mist that Rachel uses. That should cover up the scent of sexy times."

Santana rolled her eyes before pointing at the bed with an irritated finger and squawked at her girlfriend.

"What about that Britt?"

"Shsshsh San." Brittany scolded and placed her finger over Santana's lips for being too loud.

"You'll just have to be really careful when you put the sheets and quilt back over them. Maybe you should lay their tee shirts on top of them too. It will sort of look like they have clothes on. Maybe, right?"

"Me?" Santana huffed. "Why do I have to do that part? I can spray that Vanilla crap around and light a candle. How come I have to do the hard part?"

Brittany smiled sweetly, she leaned in and kissed her hot headed lover softly on the lips and whispered onto her mouth.

"Because I said so."

"Oh."

Five minutes later Cinnamon scented candles were placed strategically around Rachel's bedroom. After spraying a cloud of Vanilla mist into the air, Brittany flapped her arms in an effort to herd the sweet aroma toward the slumbering lovers.

Santana crept up to the bed carrying the quilt that had been tossed on the floor. She had it spread as wide as she could hold it with her two arms. She ignored Britt's idea about the tee shirts, knowing that the two would probably wake up as soon as she covered them with the quilt. Her plan was to flee as soon as she tossed it on them. They could figure the rest out themselves as far as she was concerned. This was all just too stupid for words. Q and Berry were going to owe her big time. She also couldn't wait to tease them about the yowling. Soundproof walls my ass!

Changing her strategy at the last moment, Santana decided to swing the quilt back and forth - she was going to cast it like a net fisherman. That way she wouldn't have to get any closer to the bed. She could just gently release, after building up a good momentum and the fluffy quilt would float through the air and land on top of them. She would catch herself a Wild Berry, a dopey love struck Cheerio, and be back across the hall before they knew what hit them. Surely they would understand, once they were awake, how imperative it was to put some clothes on.

Santana decided to count to three before her release. "Uno, dos, tres...- "

"What the fuck do you think you're doing S.?"

Quinn had opened her eyes upon hearing Santana's counting. Her mind scrambled to make sense out of the seemingly bizarre ritual her crazy friend was performing. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on Rachel's shoulder - to protect her sleeping girlfriend from whatever it was that Santana intended to do with that swinging bedcover.

Rachel awoke to the surreal image of her hand made quilt, with the big gold star as it's centerpiece, floating above her head - suspended in mid air. The airborn blanket hovered like a flying saucer. Then, all at once, it flopped with a soft whoosh on top of her head.

At that very moment she heard a squeaky scream. _Was that Santana?_ Quinn was outside the blanket muttering profanites, the door to her room was opened and slammed.

"EEeeeek!" "Ay Dios Mio!" Another scream, followed by some high pitched giggling. _That was Brittany giggling._

"Girls, it's time for breakfast." She could just barely hear her Daddy shouting from downstairs. Although her room was supposed to be soundproof, all it really did was muffle really loud sounds, soften them. You could still hear the really loud noises - they just seemed distant and far away. Hiram Berry had a very loud penetrating voice. If she could hear him yelling, he wasn't very far from her door.

Rachel's random thoughts faltered at that last perception. She was still buried beneath her quilt. Her quilt that had suddenly learned to fly of its own accord; like a magic carpet. She smiled at that idea and let her imagination wander - maybe she and Quinn could take it for a spin... She and Quinn. She and Quinn. Her Daddy outside yelling about breakfast... She and Quinn. Naked... Daddy... She and Quinn Naked. Daddy outside the door.

"Oh my fucking God." Rachel panicked and cursed. She wrestled her way from under the quilt to gape at Quinn. Who was still stringing expletives together, muttering threats, all of which were aimed at a certain, fiery Latina.

Suddenly Rachel stopped thinking. There was Quinn, reclining on the pillows, naked. Beautifully angry, momentarily unaware of Rachel gazing down upon her. A plethora of emotions swept through Rachel's mind in the span of a nano second. A complex combination of amazement, tenderness, love and joy fought fiercely with the panic and need for them to put some clothes on.

Disappointment at not being able to awake snuggled in Quinn's arms, relish their first "morning after" with lazy kisses, soft caresses and heartfelt declarations. That was how it was supposed to happen! Darn._ Is that Cinnamon I smell?_ Sniff, sniff. _And Vanilla?_ _What is going on?_ Darn.

"Quinn!" Rachel shrieked and jumped off the bed in search of their discarded sweatpants and tee shirts.

Outside she could hear Brittany talking. She must be shouting Rachel thought, for her to hear her so clearly.

"We're sorry Mr. B. Me and Santana were just playing a little wake up joke on Rachel and Quinn. We didn't mean to scare you. I'll go in and tell them that it's time for breakfast."

Rachel found Quinn's sweats first and whipped them at her head. "Put those on Quinn, and here." She found a tee shirt too. At this point it didn't matter whose shirt it was they just needed to get covered up.

"Thank you Brittany." Rachel's Daddy started to explain. "But Rachel and I have a little ritual on Saturday mornings. I always come and wake her up for breakfast. We've been doing this since she was a toddler and both of us feel out of sorts if something interrupts our routine."

"Fuck." Rachel muttered while struggling to pull her sweatpants on, tripping herself and tumbling back onto the bed. Sometimes her Daddy's OCD was very inconvenient. Quinn was looking at her oddly. She was smirking, arching that incredibly sexy eyebrow at her - all the while playfully dangling Rachel's Wicked tee shirt from her hand, swinging it back and forth with an outstretched arm. Harumph.

"Give me that Quinn!" Rachel hissed at her lover. _Lover. _ _She liked that word. _Darn_. _She snatched the shirt out of Quinn's grasp and pulled it over her head just as her Daddy knocked on the door once, before letting himself in.

Whew!

"Good morning Daddy." Rachel exclaimed as she turned from a snickering Quinn to greet her anxious father. The smile she plastered upon her face was overly wide and bright.

Hiram entered the room wearing a big grin for his darling baby girl. His eyes absorbed the tousled bed and Quinn still reclining against the pillows, garbed in sweat pants and wearing a tee shirt that was inside out and backwards. Hmmm? Candles were lit. Cinnamon scented candles and he could swear he smelled Vanilla at the threshold of the door. Hmmm? Rachel's smile was blindingly bright and fixed, her big brown eyes were open wide - the expression was a bit manic looking. She needs to blink, if she wants to be convincing Hiram thought.

And Quinn? Quinn leaned back against the head board and the pillows lazily, like the cat that got all the cream. Very pleased, though she tried to hide the smug expression with an ernest nod at him and a quiet respectful "Good morning Sir."

The Cheerio's face was flushed and she didn't meet his gaze head on like she usually did. Hmmmm? Should he be angry? Should he assume that something happened that he didn't quite condone? Or, should he accept that his darling baby girl was really growing up? He did like Quinn. Very much. Quinn had been responsible, in many ways, for Rachel's recent happiness. Somehow the girls had worked through their tumultuous past and were building upon a relationship that was remarkably mature. Hmmmm? He would let it go for now and discuss this later with Leroy. Then the four of them would have "The Talk."

Santana and Brittany peeked inside the room to see Rachel, Quinn and Mr. Berry in sort of a locked triangle of "eye pinball". Each of their gazes were bouncing off the others. Back and forth and around they went. Brittany was quietly interpreting for Santana as they watched and wondered if Mr. Berry was going to blow a nut right now, or save it for later when he could get Quinn alone.

"Quinn _was_ really scared but just forgot because Rachel just told her something yummy with her eyebrows. Rachel isn't scared at all. She wants her Daddy to know that she and Quinn are in love. But she knows she can't be _in his face _about it. So, she's pretending that they didn't have lots and lots and lots of sexy times all night long."

"Mr. B. thinks Rachel needs some acting lessons. He likes Quinn a lot, but he wants her to be worried just a little. He's going to pretend that he doesn't know anything until later. It's going to be alright San. Good thing we got here first though. I don't know what kind of things Mr. B. would have said with his eyes if he walked in and saw how pretty they were before you captured them with the star quilt."

Santana smiled warmly at Brittany, grabbed her hand and pulled it up to kiss the knuckles before whispering, "You are so amazing B."

Mr. Berry became aware of the girls behind him whispering and clapped his hands together.

"Breakfast girls. Waffles this morning. Strawberries and cream, with a little bacon on the side for those of us of non vegan persuasion." He arched and eyebrow at Quinn and Rachel and then continued, " Lets go before Leroy climbs the stairs to see what's holding up the show."

He turned to leave the room but stopped himself, looked over his shoulder and left the girls with a piece of advice.

"Ahem... you girls might want to put those candles out now. The room smells spicy enough."

He snorted and marched over to the door without a backwards glance. Rachel and Quinn turned nineteen shades of red between them while Santana and Brittany broke out into fits of laughter.

**Monday **

" **Tippy toes on the line,** _**NOW**__._" Sue Sylvester screamed at the top of her lungs.

Twenty two students were called into the gym after lunch for an impromptu two hour class instructed by Coach Sylvester. She marched into the principals office, handed the list to Mrs. Bellpher and instructed her to use the intercom to request these students presence in the gymnasium.

Twenty two Lima Losers. Twenty two suspects. Twenty two guinea pigs. One of them was going down - or two. The PrankMaster evidently has a partner, that twisty tumbler put on quite a show the other night. Someone in this school was exceptionally crafty. Not only was that someone clever but well equipped with sophisticated gadgetry. Expensive cameras and microphones had been left behind in the photo lab on Halloween night.

Fourty two tippy toes were touching the black line and two wheels. All the little lambs were standing at attention. Lambs for the slaughter. She would call this Trickster out. One of the teenage mutants in this room was behind the insipid insanity. That person has a conscious - a warm heart; a soft fuzzy spot for wayward weaklings and Sue would use this malignant mushiness to cull this culprit out.

Torture always worked. She would torture them all until that snarky poet, that self appointed super sneak revealed itself. All the gleeks were among this group. They were the lowest of the low so it was a no brainer that they were all suspects. That Cindy girl from the film was also here, and Giles Deroche. Sue sort of hated to use those two in this line-up. She had every intention to use them last week when she and Tinker worked out this little scenario. But now, she wondered if they hadn't suffered enough?

Stephanie had a sick sort of obsession with Cindy and Giles, but Sue had no idea how far she had gone to make their lives at school a living hell.

After viewing the film she understood why this Practical Joker had singled out those five particular students. Sue would even put money down that Stephanie Hanson was much more dangerous than David Karofsky would ever be. Karofsky was a flaming homophobe - that was blatantly obvious. But Stephanie was a true Sociopath. Sue was feeling almost grateful to the Prankster for this little insight. Sue Sylvester wanted talented, pretty, strong willed girls on her team - but they had to be girls she could control and manipulate. She would never be able to trust Sephanie Hanson to follow her orders, nor did she want to after viewing that ugly film.

Being mean was something every true hearted american beauty considered a birthright - they took to nasty like ducks did to the dinner table. But Stephanie Hanson was a bigger freak than any of this sorrowful lot. It took a whole lot of scary to make Sue Sylvester blanch, recoil with absolute repulsion. The Hanson girl was just that awful; a beautiful, terrifying, real life Monster. Sue did not like Monsters and she would deal with that creature in due time. Now, however, she would squeeze these grapes and get some wine. Or whine.

"Let me tell you all what's going to happen during the next two hours. I want information and you flock of pitiful peons are going to give it to me."

At that point Tinker revealed himself. He sauntered across the length of the gym carrying a giant black duffle bag, which he dropped with a heavy thud onto the hardwood floor. He knelt down and slowly unzipped the bag. He pulled a large black piece of velour and spread it out - smoothing out the non existent wrinkles. Taking a moment to look down the line of nervous students, who were watching him intently, he smiled maliciously before dipping his hands back into the bag.

It was as though a cartoon surgeon emerged from the celluloid he was no longer trapped within - toting this medical bag of horror.

Large silver instruments were pulled out slowly, one at a time, and held up for his inspection before he set them down on the black cloth. Giant silvery scissors and corkscrews, pliers and hacksaws, scalpels and poniards. All sharp edged, pointy, shiny gleaming instruments. Each implement was set down on the cloth with great reverence by Sue Sylvester's not so secret Spy.

Sue, wearing a stark White Adidas track suit with bright red accents, marched up and down the line of the languid, listless lost. Eyeing them all with a fierce sneer. Jacob Ben Israel was a definite possibility. He was no slouch with the high tech computer gear - but who among this troupe of misfits would stoop to work with him? Even _they_ had standards and Jew Fro was the lowest of the low. Hmmph.

Sitting in the bleachers watching the proceedings were David Karofsky, Finn Hudson, Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce, and Stephanie Hanson. After Coach interviewed each of them on Halloween she ordered them to be present at this meeting.

Brittany showed up uninvited but no one dared to question why she was there. Rachel knew, of course, that this meeting was scheduled and had prepared Quinn and Santana for what to expect. And, also, not to interfere.

Capitalizing on the ridiculous rumor that Becky had betrayed her - that Becky was a secret genius pulling the strings behind the scenes. Coach Sylvester planted Becky among this group to weaken its resolve. Everyone loved Becky. No one dared to treat her badly. Considering this Trickster's tender feelings for under dogs, she might be able to manipulate a confession out of sheer guilt, if her initial intimidation failed to bear fruit.

With that thought in mind she winked at her tiny partner who was wiggling cheerfully, standing near the end of the line next to Jacob Ben Israel. Jew Fro had started easing his way toward the nearest exit. Inching his way, literally, squirming centimeters at a time off the tail end of the line - trying to slink away unnoticed.

Coach Sylvester blew her whistle to stop the fidgeting.

"Now, I am going to ask you all a question. One of you bumkins knows the answer. If that person is too ignoble to step forward, Tinker here will start to Tinker with you. He won't start with the shiny, pointy objects - he'll save those for later and a more intimate setting. We'll start this show with some stimulating exercise to warm you all up and get the blood flowing. Once our little warm up is complete Tinker will take you, one at a time, into the equipment room for a private interview."

She looked them all over, pinning them to their spot on the line, swaying her head back and forth like an irritated, giant reptile.

Rachel snickered.

Sue strolled over to Rachel and stepped into her personal space, looking down on the tiny diva with utter contempt.

"Something funny Streisand?"

Rachel shrugged nonchalantly, smiled sweetly, blinked her long lashes twice before unleashing the full force of that deadly brown eyed gaze upon the Coach.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I find this childish display of intimidation quite amusing."

She straightened out her Owl sweater and took a small step back from Sue Sylvester to get a better _view_ of the towering Coach, before continuing.

"I'm also quite certain that torture is illegal in the United States, although there seems to be some gaping loopholes in relation to this school. I am, however, impressed by your showmanship. The props and minor characters, (she nodded at Tinker with that last part) are very flamboyant and satisfyingly entertaining - hence my uncontrollable outburst."

Sue continued to stare at Rachel. Her mouth was closed tight and she was flexing the muscles of her jaw, as if preparing herself for the tirade of the century.

"You are a very tiny person." Sue muttered absently, striding away from a very perplexed Rachel and taking her place beside Tinker. She addressed the group as a whole.

"I will ask this question once. Who among you is the Pratical Joker?, the PrankMaster?, The Skunker?, The Color Coder of Cheerios?, The Stealer of Pens?, The Bard of Bad Poetry?, The Tricky Trickster? Which of you is responsible for the mayhem raining down upon this school? Tell me now and only you will suffer."

"Step forward, be brave and proud of your accomplishments. Step forward - spare these unremarkable underachievers. Spare these uniquely, useless, usurpers of mediocrity from further degradation. Do the right thing, ease the suffering of the many by sacrifici...-"

"It's me." Was stated softly but clearly, interrupting Coach Sylvester's rant.

She was pacing back and forth in front of the line of frightened mouth breathers when those words were spoken. Faltering mid-stride, completely flummoxed by such a quick admission - she spun on the heel of her sneaker causing it to squeak eerily loud - it echoed through the gymnasium leaving total silence in its wake. Who had uttered those two words?

"I'm the Skunker." Sam Evans stepped forward declaring that it was he.

"No! I'm the Deadly Dyer." Tina Cohen-Chang glared at Sam before taking a step to claim responsibility.

"I did it. I'm the Bard of Bad Poetry", Kurt Hummel exclaimed, his face flushed bright red, but he looked very pleased with himself and took a dainty step in front of the black line.

"No. I'm the Tricky Trickster ", Mike Chang declared dramatically before taking a deep bow.

"I'm the PrankMaster." Artie wheeled himself forward - he winked at Mercedes, who gave him a thumbs up before stepping forward herself.

"You want the PrankMistress?, I am she, The Goddess of Gags."

"Me coach, me." Becky was pointing proudly at herself. "I stole your pen." She smiled up at Coach Sylvester with her head tilted adorably to the side.

Sigh.

**To Be Continued.**

Thanks so much to those of you who have taken the time to review. :)


	14. Channeling Freddie

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Thanks so much for the continued support of this story. My J.O.B. has taken over my life recently, so I apologize for the delay in updates. I will try to make at least one update a week until the dust settles in my real life. _I think there are probably lots of mistakes but I wanted to give you all an update. I will go back later and clean up the mess. Hope you stick around to find out what happens.

**Chapter XIV. Channeling Freddie.**

**Rachel, Sue Sylvester and the Gleeks**

**Mash Up**

Her intention was to confess. Well, not really, but she was going to say that it _was_ she behind the pranks. She was going to be _over the top_ in Sue Sylvester's face, so much so that Sue would never believe it could really be her. What she hadn't expected, however, was for almost every member of the glee club to step forward and claim the responsibility. It all happened so fast.

She had very softly and simply stated, "It's me." But then Sam shot her a look of pure panic before hastily stepping forward and declaring that he was the Skunker. Tina followed right behind him, and then the rest of them. Why? Did they know something? What could she do now to offset this unexpected ad lib to Sue Sylvesters plot?

She had everything prepared to manipulate Coach Sylvester into thinking her claims were way off base. Rachel intended to make the accusations the Coach was making a ridiculous notion. For Sue to believe that any of the losers in this gym could possibly be clever enough, or driven enough, to pull off such acts of brilliant finesse - would be a ludicrous idea. In Sue Sylvester's own estimation of them - as a group, such madness was simply impossible.

Now what? Now all of them would look suspicious - as though they truly were covering for someone among this group. Harumph! The gesture _was _awfully sweet of her fellow gleeks, however. Amazing, in fact. Wow!

Sue was staring at the gleeks as if they had all grown horns, while Tinker was shaking his head stunned and baffled by the show of unity. All Rachel could think is that they needed a distraction to throw the Coach off her game. Right now she could see the wheels spinning behind those icy blue eyes - those eyebrows were scrunched with intense concentration. Rachel knew that Coach would rewind the last few minutes in her mind and maybe, just maybe, put some pieces together. Ugh.

Glancing around the gym in a desperate search for such a distraction, Rachel spotted the boom box the Cheerios used to practice with at lunch time. It was on the bottom bleacher right in front of Quinn and the others. Her I Pod was in the pocket of the plaid skirt she was wearing. The music for the mash up they were working on in glee was cued and ready to go. She had just finished setting it up so she would be prepared for glee this afternoon.

Light Bulb! A big, bright cataclysm of genius quaked and shook inside her brain, urging her forward - demanding immediate action.

Rachel took a giant, dramatic step forward in front of the black line. The heels of her penny loafers made resounding clicks, capturing the attention of everyone in the gym. She hesitated, waited to be sure that everyone was watching - then she took another step, and another, and another. With each giant step forward all of the eyes in the gym followed her intently. She was now much closer to the center of the court, in a direct line with the boom box, Quinn, Santana and Brittany.

Everyone was quietly watching the little diva, curious as to what she was getting up to. Even Sue Sylvester was willing to see what would come of the strange behavior. She could appreciate a little build up in the drama before she hauled them all off, one at a time, for their private interviews with Tinker. Those goofy gleeks thought they could fool her by their idiot confessions. One of them was most definitely a suspect. That much she was sure of now. They were all covering for someone, but who?

Rachel knelt down on the floor, bent her body forward to strike a pose of lament, of deep sorrow. She dug inside her pocket, grabbed her I Pod and very quickly slid it across the floor towards Quinn and the others. It skidded to a stop a foot before the bleachers. She peeked at them through the wall of dark hair that had fallen in front of her face, pleading with her eyes - begging them to understand.

Brittany was all over it. She flashed a grin at Rachel and hopped out of her seat to scoop up Rachel's I Pod. She sat down next to the boom box and gave Rachel a nod and a wink. All of this happened very quickly. A matter of a split second of time elapsed by which everyone in the room was frantically trying to make sense of these strange and curious events.

Most everyone was focused on the tiny figure in the center of the gym. The tiny figure wearing a black and white plaid skirt, a semi frumpy beige and white sweater - a sweater with a barn owl appliqued upon its front. The tiny figure wearing snow white knee highs, and polished to a shine black penny loafers. Rachel was kneeling with her shoulders slumped forward drooping dramatically. Her arms were dangling listlessly to the side and her long, dark, silky hair was curtaining her face - masking an expression that could only be grief and sadness.

All was ready.

Rachel closed her eyes, took a deep breath and began to sing acapella.

_Is this real life?_

_Is this just fantasy?_

_Caught in a landslide,_

_No escape from reality_

_Open your eyes...Look up to the skies and see..._

She slowly rose out of the tragic pose, tossed her hair back and looked up at the skies (the gym ceiling). Her voice was clear and true. She owned that high note, and if anyone in the room had ever doubted her talent, such thoughts were completely forgotten in that moment. Rachel transformed herself into the perfect enchantress, enrapturing them all within a span of thirty seconds.

Slowly she spun to look upon the actors in this impromptu Scene. Quickly, she scanned the faces of her fellow gleeks for understanding - each of them nodded or winked or smiled. They had practiced this mash up all of last week together. The gym was spacious and would afford them the movement they all needed to really do the performance justice.

_I'm just a poor girl, I need no sympathy_

Brittany plugged in the i pod and turned the music up. Her timing was perfect. That Red Devil Girl was a freakin' marvel and if Rachel wasn't in the middle of a performance she would have run over and tackled her with the hug of the century. But, she was in the middle of a performance so she continued to sing.

_Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low,_

_Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me,_

_toooo...me._

Rachel turned, ever so slowly, to face Sue Sylvester - who was standing with her arms crossed wearing an expression that was kind of horrified. Sue really didn't know what to do. This little singing midget was incredibly compelling to watch and listen to. She wanted to blow her whistle, shatter the spell that little brown eyed demon had cast, but for some unGodly reason she was incapable of action - mesmerized, charmed even, by that pint sized singing siren.

Rachel stretched her arm out, extending her hand in a pleading gesture and leveled her brown eyed gaze upon the coach.

_Mama... I just Skunked a man, put a squirt gun to his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dreaded._

_Mama, life had just begun,_

_But now I've gone and thrown it all away..._

The spell was broken with Rachel's word substitution. Snickers and chortles could be heard throughout the gym. Sue Sylvester's awe struck expression transformed into a sneer, her face turned red and she was shaking her head no, no, no. She grabbed her whistle, yanking on the string once for emphasis but then that yowling, miniature, tasmanian devil attacked her...

Rachel sped forward and collapsed in front of Sue. Crawling on her hands and knees up to the stunned Cheerio Coach, she desperately embraced Adidas clad legs, holding tight with both arms. She gazed up at Sue, achingly pleading with dark brown pools of liquid sorrow...-

_Mama, ooohhh, didn't mean to make you cry,_

_If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,_

_Carry on, carry on...as if nothing really matters..._

" Get oFF Me!" Sue Sylvester was screeching, utterly appalled. The midget was clinging to her legs and singing up at her with those big pathetic, unbelievingly long lashed dopey doe eyes. No, No, No, this can't be happening. She tried to step away, gently kick the little lawn ornament off of her, but those little clasping fingers were amazingly strong.

Somehow, while this little drama was unfolding, the rest of the gleeky sideshow stepped forward and formed a loose circle around the Coach and her captor. Those dastardly dorks were swaying to and fro while singing back up harmonies...beautifully. Oh. My. God.

Sue decided to just walk away, thinking that the muley munchkin would just let go, rather than be dragged around the gym floor. But no, the little banshee barnacle clung to her like; well, like a barnacle. Sue was making a spectacle of herself, stubbornly limping across the floor, dragging a mini skirt wearing she devil diva; who just happened to be belting out, at the top of her limitless lungs - Sue Sylvester's all time (secret) favorite song.

Rachel continued to sing and cling to Sue Sylvester with all her might. Her eyes were overflowing with mirth, her voice was steady and true.

_Too late, my time has come,_

_Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time._

At that point Rachel decided to release the Coach and tumble into a little roll. Mike stepped forward, lowered himself to one knee and offered her his hand. They stood together gracefully, then seamlessly flowed into a move which had Rachel twirling across the floor - following right behind the huffing and puffing Cheerio Coach.

Sue was attempting to make it back to the black line, where the rest of the Lima Losers were mired in a zombie trance. She felt a tap upon her shoulder and spun around to scream out her fury, but that... that...that...mewling, melodic mini mouse had beat her to it.

Rachel belted out the next verse, drowning Sue Sylvester out completely. She was spinning slowly in a circle and waving sadly at her audience.

_Goodbye everybody, I've got to go,_

_Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth..._

_Mama, ooh, I didn't want to dye,_

_I sometimes wish I'd never known how at all..._

Enter stage left: Quinn, Santana and Brittany sprinted onto the gym floor to join the rest of the gleeks in the chorus line. All of them were preparing for the segue into the next part of the mash up. The bell had rung during the performance, unnoticed by the participants in the gym. Many of the students wandering by were distracted by the music and curiously looked in. Rachel's audience had grown exponentially.

Puck stepped forward delivering his lines perfectly, but he threw in a bow and a wink of appreciation to Rachel.

_I see a little silhouetto of a girl,_

_Scaramouche, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango_

_Thunderbolt of lightning, very, very, frightening me_

_(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo figaro...Magnifico _

Rachel

_I'm just a poor girl from a poor family_

Chorus (gleeks)

_She's just a poor girl from a poor family_

_Spare her, her life from this monstrosity_ (they all pointed at Sue)

Rachel

_Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?_

Rachel/Chorus (gleeks)

_Bismillah! No, we will not let you go._

_(Let her go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go_

_(Let her go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go_

_(Let me go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go_

_(Let me go!) Bismillah! We will not (let me go) Ah_

_No,no,no,no,no,no,_

_(Oh mama mia, mama mia) Mama mia, let me go_

_Beelzaebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me, _

Rachel

_So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye_

_so you think you can hate me and leave me to cry_

_Oh, lady, can't do this to me, lady,_

_Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here..._

_Nothing really matters, Anyone can see,_

_Nothing really matters,_

_Nothing really matters _

_to me..._

Together they finished the song with Rachel in the middle of their circle, back on her knees in that tragic pose, hanging her head low. That beautiful mane of dark hair masking the amusement, the exhilaration, the utter joy she was feeling at such an amazing performance by her fellow gleeks.

And then the music shifted.

Kurt stepped into the circle and helped her to her feet. As one they stood tall and faced Sue Sylvester with stony determination and pride. The rest of the gleeks formed a straight line on either side of Rachel and Kurt - all of them clasping hands. Kurt began the first line and Rachel followed with the second. They both had tears in their eyes as they sang to one another and the whole school, and the whole world really - pouring out their hearts.

_I've paid my dues_

_Time after time_

Alternating lines they turned the beautiful piece into a duet, which was accompanied by the rest of the glee club as the chorus. Their two voices were like the the purest, clearest bell that ever chimed. They harmonized beautifully and perfectly together, creating a moment in time that would forever be etched upon the minds of everyone who witnessed the performance.

_I've done my sentence_

_But committed no crime_

_And bad mistakes_

_I've made a few_

_I've had my share of sand kicked in my face_

_But I've come through_

(Chorus)

_We are the champions my friends_

_And we'll keep on fighting till the end_

_We are the champions We are the champions_

_No time for LOSERS 'Cause we are the champions_

_of the world._

_I've taken my bows_

_and curtain calls_

_you've brought me pain and torture and everything that goes with it_

_and I don't thank you all_

_It's been no bed of roses_

_No pleasure cruise_

_I consider it a challenge before the whole human race_

_And I ain't gonna lose_

_(Chorus)_

_We are the champions my friends_

_And we'll keep on fighting till the end_

_We are the champions We are the champions_

_No time for LOSERS 'Cause we are the champions_

_of the world._

By the time the song was finished the entire gym was filled with students who were late for class. They erupted into cheers and were madly jumping up and down clapping and whistling. The Glee club formed a huddle around Rachel, all of them creating a giant group hug. Laughing and crying because they all knew how incredible that performance was. On many levels they all knew, whether it was before, during, or at the very end of their effort - every one of them had realized what had just transpired. Except for Finn.

Finn Hudson sat in the bleachers and sulked through the whole performance with a surly Stephanie Hanson by his side. David Karofsky had joined the other students with his applause. He was a little confused, about what it might mean, but he didn't care. As dorky and irritating as Berry and Hummel could be in _real life,_ he couldn't deny how great their singing had made him feel. So, he cheered and whistled with the rest of the students. Coach Sylvester threw up her arms in defeat and marched out of the gym without a backwards glance. Tinker packed up his bag of toys and smiled ruefully. He thought that little brown eyed girl was just adorable...and boy could she sing.

**Rachel, Quinn, Santana and Brittany**

Rachel was seated, actually straddling Quinn's lap, in her Lab Oratory. They were positioned rather precariously on a stool with Quinn leaning uncomfortably against the work table for support. She didn't mind because her girlfriend was rewarding _her,_ for the all out support she was given in the gym that afternoon. Quinn was reaping the benefits of a group effort and she didn't mind at all.

They were kissing deeply, Quinn's hands were roaming the insides of Rachel's tank top. She had changed out of the highly functional Owl sweater the moment they got home and slipped into this much more comfortable and much more revealing black tank top. The smooth skin of her back was warm and soft and tight with sinewy muscle. Quinn ran her nails in a feather light pattern down the diva's back causing her to gasp and grind her center into Quinn. A bolt of eroticism rushed through the Cheerio making her lose her balance. The stool started to wobble, Rachel started to giggle and they both tumbled onto the floor.

Quinn managed to break their fall but decided to just lay down on the floor and pull her girlfriend on top of her. Rachel was above her, gazing deeply into her eyes, searching the depths, peeling away the layers - mining Quinn's heart for the biggest and brightest of gem stones - LOVE. The surrender was effortless. If Rachel wanted her arm she could have it. A leg? No problem. Who needed ribs? Not Quinn. Rachel could have whatever she wanted and Quinn would gladly give it to her.

But the really wonderful thing about feeling this way was that those sacrifices would be returned to her tenfold. They already had been. Rachel was just that forgiving, just that loving, and just that perfect in every single way. Quinn couldn't quite grasp how it was she got to be so lucky?

"Where did you go just now?" Rachel whispered, kissed her on the forehead softly then continued to peer at her with intense curiosity.

"I went to Rachel Land and got enchanted by those big brown saucers you call eyes...you should be required to wear sunglasses like that guy from the X-Men. When you look at people they tend to turn into stuttering fools and simpering idiots before the spontaneous combustion occurs. I...itt...hhha...happens to me... ev..ev..every time. "

"Quinn Fabray!" Rachel pinched Quinn in the ribs and started to tickle.

"eeeek... no... Rachel...eeek...sttttopp...pleasstopI'msorry... eeeeeeek."

The two girls were giggling and wrestling on the star tiled floor of Rachel's Lab Oratory when they heard the knock on the door.

Betty Boop was currently _ENGAGED, _which meant that whomever was out there was smart enough not to open the door. She did have the warning sign properly posted so that meant that it was probably her Dad or Daddy, or Peter, or...-

"**BERRY! Q!, **open up already and make sure Betty is on her leash."

Rachel could hear Brittany whispering something to Santana, it sounded and awful lot like, "They're doing it again." Harumph. Like they should talk!. But she smiled anyway and got off of Quinn to disengage the Booby Trap and open the door for her friends.

Rachel was a hot mess when she opened the door. Her long dark tresses were wildly askew, the tank top was riding high on her stomach revealing a creamy caramel tummy, her face was flushed and her eyes were black as coal.

Santana and Brittany took in her appearance with drooling appreciation. Santana openly ogled Rachel's body from the bottom of her knee highs, slowly running her eyes over each and every tight, curvy leg muscle, gliding up to the almost not there skirt and focusing a little overlong upon the diva's bosom.

"Her eyes are up here." Quinn was waving her hand aggressively in Santana's face. When did she get here? Santana thought and then burst into laughter. She loved how jelly Quinn got over her little smur... ah... midge...ah... Berry. Whatever.

Brittany had already pushed herself into the room, grabbing Rachel along the way and was currently swinging the diva around in a circle - hugging her senseless. Both of them were laughing and squealing hysterically. Quinn and Santana rolled their eyes but couldn't contain their smiles.

"Britt... you were so amazing today. I was so happy you were sitting there. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't figured out what I wanted." Brittany finally placed Rachel back on the floor.

"I could tell right away Rach, as soon as you pulled your I Pod out of your pocket - I knew what was going to happen... and besides, remember at lunch how much time we spent setting the music up for glee? I could just tell that you wanted me to play it then... so I did." Brittany nodded proudly, her pony tail bobbed up and down with her excitement.

The four of them settled on stools around Rachel's worktable and began to very excitedly rehash the whole experience. When the conversation settled down Santana asked a pointed question.

"What now Rachel?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Coach knows that someone in glee is responsible for the pranks. She probably knows it's you. Are you going to keep going? Are you going to finish the Play?"

All three of them were looking at her expectantly. She could tell what they wanted. They wanted her to stop before she got caught. They weren't afraid for themselves, she knew that. It made her heart squeeze tight. She lost her ability to breathe for a moment and was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. At the start of the year she could have never predicted this outcome. She was hoping to make a point. Teach a lesson...maybe. Feel empowered by standing up for herself. But never, in her wildest dreams, did she think she could gain what she had now.

True friends. Good friends. Loving friends who really enjoyed her company. They really loved her.

Tears pooled in her eyes and she was unaware that she was crying until Quinn was right behind her, holding her, kissing her cheek and softly whispering, "What's wrong Rach? what is it baby?"

Sniffle.

"I'm okay." She nodded reassurance at Santana, who looked stricken with worry. She smiled at all three of them, tears were still streaming down her cheeks but she was smiling. Brittany settled back onto her stool and grinned at Rachel warmly in return. She knew what Rachel was feeling and her own heart felt equally as happy.

" I...I'm just so happy. I've never had real friends before, except for my family and Peter. Real friends who really care for me and like me. I'm...just... _sooo happy_. Thank you. Thank you all so much."

And then the waterworks started all over again but included all four of them. Even Santana Lopez. Santana Lopez, who never cried, was weeping big shiny tears and hugging Rachel Berry with all her might. They all were. The giant group hug from that afternoon was repeated again in smaller fashion inside Rachel's Lab Oratory.

_Some little time later._

Rachel wiped her eyes, pushed her tousled hair off of her face, looked across the table at her friends and answered Santana's question. Quinn was still standing, embracing her from behind and softly nuzzling her neck while she spoke to Santana and Brittany.

"Yes Santana. I am going to finish my Play. Sue Sylvester still has no proof...until she does discover some hard facts by which she could accuse me, I will press forward with my schedule. I know she'll be harder to foil, now that she'll be watching the glee club...but I still have unfinished business. I don't expect you all to continue if you don't want to. I'm so grateful already for the risks you've already taken. I... ah..-"

"Before you stutter another word Berry, save us the soliloquy. I'm in. I'm all in and will be through the end. This is the most fun I've ever had in my life and I would be totally freaked if you continued without me...I...-"

Brittany elbowed Santana in the ribs and arched an eyebrow, as if to say - who is making speeches now? Before simply stating. "Me too Rach, I'm all in too!"

Quinn didn't even bother to add her name to the roll call because Rachel knew that Quinn would follow her anywhere. So, she settled for smiling fondly at her Tribe of Sogima, nodded her approval and waited for Rachel to continue.

Rachel sat for a moment, staring at the three of them with a huge grin and heartfelt appreciation. She shook her head, cleared her throat and began to explain the next Scene in her play.

Act II, Scene II: Don't Bug Me!.

"Did you all know that Azimo Adams is terrified of insects?"

**To Be Continued**

Song lyrics belong to Queen, and the genius of Freddie Mercury of course. No copyright infringement intended. I did alter the lyrics in places to fit with Rachel's performance.

Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to leave a review. :)


	15. Don't Bug Me!

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter XV. Don't Bug Me.**

**Azimo**

**Monday**.

The early morning, right before the first bell on Monday, was Azimo's least favorite time of the week. All the little weaklings and punks were buzzing around, gossiping about their weekend, making useless, meaningless, irritating noise. He opened his locker to gather the book he needed for his English class and was greeted with something that nearly stopped his heart. A spider web. A giant spider web completely covered the cubby where the book he needed was stored.

Stepping back from the locker in a panicked daze he was suddenly very hot, sweat was pouring from his brow and he forgot to breathe.

"eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" A very high pitched whine was coming from somewhere. In the distance he heard the first bell, far, far, away; almost like it was under water. "eeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

"Az?" Jeremy Miller was shaking his shoulder and shouting in his face.

"Azimo! What the fuck man? You're acting like a lunatic. Why are you making that sound?" Miller was shaking him roughly, and laughing a little too.

"Whaaaa?... oh, ahhh. Look at my locker man." Azimo pointed with a shaky finger. "Big fuckin' web. I'm...ah... not down with spiders and I need to get my English book." Azimo stared at the floor in shame with the admission - hoping against all hope that Miller would save him without too much hassle. He knew he would owe the hockey jock big time. He already did after that fiasco with Sylvester but he would suck it up if Miller kept his mouth shut.

"Really Az? Seriously? You're afraid of an _itsy, bitsy, spider? _" Peals of laughter. And then the boy relented, he slapped the football players back, shoved him on the shoulder and stepped forward to smash the 'oh so scary' filmy web of wicked wonder.

"This isn't even real Az. Can't you tell? It's that spray crap that comes from a can - they sell it for Halloween. Someone is trying to yank your chain man. I'd keep my eyes peeled if I was you."

Miller wasn't smiling so much any more and his face became kinda serious before he finished his speculation. " I'm betting the _Skunker_ is behind this Az. Who the fuck else would mess with you? Better watch your back man, this web crap is small peanuts compared to some of the stuff that nut job has done. This is just the warning part... the beginning!"

Jeremy's eyes were very big and he was bobbing his head to emphasize the wisdom of his conclusions. The second bell rang and both boys became aware that they were late for class. Azimo grabbed his English book and slammed his locker. He shook his whole body to rid himself of the creepy crawly feeling. Turning to face the hockey jock he slammed shoulders with him in thanks.

"Thanks Jer, I owe ya! Ahhh... um... Jeremy? About the spider thing?"

Miller chuckled and waved his hand as he started running down the hall. "No worries dude, who'd believe me anyway?"

Whew!

Azimo sauntered down the hall at a lazy pace. He could be late without repercussions. All the teachers were afraid of him. They basically ignored him, allowing him to come and go as he pleased. Today he was not pleased. Someone was messing with him. _**Him! **_No one would mess with Azimo Adams and get away with it. He could handle whatever they threw at him. And when he caught up with whoever this Joker was, well, then...

**Tuesday.**

On Tuesday he started to hear a tiny hum. High pitched, like the sound a mosquito made when it was a few feet away from you. Not actually circling your head but you could tell it was getting closer. He was in the computer lab checking his email when it started. He spun around in his chair to see where the flying irritant was but couldn't locate the bug. And then the humming noise went away. Mosquitos were slow and easy to spot, and easy to kill. They bugged him. He really, really hated mosquitos but they were not so frightening as most of the other bugs he didn't like. He could deal with mosquitos.

Focusing back on his computer he decided to check his email. Whoa. Someone was sending him porn again. Probably Puckerman but he didn't recognize the username. The title just read: 'Nekkid Ladies', a little vid for your pleasure. He should probably just delete it. Or, he could wait and open it at home tonight - take the time to really enjoy the images without worrying about that Hag Mrs. Hovel catching him. He snuck a peek around the lab and noticed that everyone was busy working. Hovel was in her little glass office on the phone. Why not? I'm fuckin' bored and need a little stimulation. He clicked on 'Nekkid Ladies' and sat back to enjoy himself.

His screen went totally black for a moment and then was filled with Red and Black and spots and dots and awful sounds. Buzzing, and humming, and screeching and wings flapping. The opening scene was a humongous Lady Bug crawling on a leaf, which quickly transitioned into an emerald Dragonfly swooping, and then a yellow dodging wasp. A praying mantis with giant pincers was grabbing at his face. It seemed as though the bugs could snatch him through the screen.

A furry brown tarantula leapt directly at him with amazing speed, a gargantuan mosquito hovered, a screech beetle screeched piercingly loud - punishing his eardrums. A copper colored cockroach quickly skittered across the view, exposing its lurid underbelly.

"arggg...ahhh...oooooh...ugh...gahh, ick... ewwww."

Azimo was trapped in stasis, muttering grossed out expletives and drool was dripping down his chin. He slumped in his chair and tried to pry his eyes away from the visual torture that assailed him.

A swarm of locusts flew in a loop before charging the screen and finally, a lumbering, bumbling slow moving - hideously giant, black and yellow bumble bee buzzed in slow motion, its translucent wings flapping hypnotically, swallowing the whole computer.

Azimo fell off his chair and onto the floor. He could hear the background noises of students swarming around him. Bzzz, bzzz, bzzzzzz.

"Az passed out!" "Cool...look at the vid he was watching...wow... I love bugs!" Was that Brittany Pierce? She is seriously damaged. Hovel was screaming about the nurse... fade to black.

**Wednesday.**

Biology Class

"Fire ants are aggressive and will attack anything that disturbs them. They sting repeatedly, seemingly on signal and all at the same time. Once stung a white pustule forms on the skin as seen in the picture below. The stings are not normally life threatening but the pustules, once broken, are easily infected and leave permanent scars. Some people are sensitive or allergic to the sting. In those cases, symptoms may include chest pains, nausea, severe sweating, loss of breath, serious swelling, slurred speech, and in severe cases lapse into a coma. In those cases, the person should be taken to an emergency facility."

Rachel Berry was in her element with a powerpoint presentation, all the while narrating her project with long, rambling, terrifying speeches.

Azimo passed out.

**Thursday.**

Modern Farming and Agriculture. A Class for future farmers of Ohio.

Film: A plague of Locusts.

Azimo passed out.

**Disturbing the Hive - a memory.**

_For a rambunctious nine year old boy, with energy to spare and no one to play with - that summer weekend was long and hot and boring. His Grandmother packed him a lunch, handed him a bamboo pole and suggested he take up fishing. The trail through the forest led to a stream that was packed with trout. So she said._

_He marched through the backwood trail, weilding his bamboo fishing pole, pretending to be a knight with a sword. He stabbed at innocent trees and whacked them into submission. Unfortunately, for him, he came upon a hallowed trunk. He liked the deep, haunting sound the dead tree made when he thunked it with the heavier end of the bamboo rod. It resonated, like a big heavy drum._

_...POUND, POUND,THUMP, THUMP,... DUM DUM DUM...POUND, POUND, THUMP, THUMP,... DUM DUM DUM... _

_Again and again the young boy pounded upon the hallowed tree. His drumming was so loud it drowned out the other sound... the frantic buzzing sound coming from deep within. Completely wrapped up in his game of conquerer/warrior, he began to dance and strut. He closed his eyes, raised his victorious weapon above his head, jumped up and down and screamed like a wilding. _

_Buzz, Buzzz...buzzz...buz...buzzzzzzz...bz...bzzzt...buzzzzz...bzzzt...buzz...bzzzt...bzz...buzzz..._

_buzz, Buzzz...buzzz...buz...buzzzzzzz...bz...bzzzt...buzzzzz...bzzzt. _

_Sting._

_"Owwww"_

_Sting...sting...sting...sting._

_"Oww...owww...oooooohh...owwww"_

_Sting...sting...sting...sting...Sting...sting...sting...sting...Sting...sting...sting...sting._

_"Oww...owww...oooooohh...owwww...ww...owww...oooooohh...owwww...aaaaaaaaaaa..."_

_The nurse at the hospital explained to young boys grandmother, whom he had been visiting for the weekend, that her grandson was a very lucky boy. Only two of the bees crawled up his nose, which the Doctor removed with mini forceps. He was stung forty seven times but didn't lose an eye, his eardrums weren't damaged, he didn't swallow any of the bees...or go into anaphylactic shock. The boy didn't appear to have an allergy to bees; thus he was very fortunate - else he would be dead._

_Very fortunate indeed._

Azimo Adams shuddered with that memory. He hated bugs. Any bugs that flew and hummed, or buzzed, made him break out into a sweat and sometimes pee his pants. He hated the woods, the outdoors in general, and refused to participate in woodsy activities. Playing on the football team was as brave as he would get. That was the only outside activity he really took part in. The uniform and pads protected his body, the field was clear of shrubbery, it was surrounded by bleachers and the grass was loaded with pesticides. The bugs stayed away from the field.

He was proud that he played football. He was big and strong and conquered the other players on the field. He carried that attitude into the school with him. Azimo was merciless to the losers and gleeks. He tormented them with hateful demeaning names and tortured them with slushies. What he saw in the smaller defenseless weaklings, was what he hated most about himself - the fear. Of course he didn't think about it that way, or process those specific thoughts. He just acted out, responded with his very own twisted, self-protective instincts. If he struck first, lashed out strong and sure, making those around him scared; then no one could know how truly frightened he really was.

He didn't like people who talked a lot, or people with causes, or people who were always ranting about the problems in the world. They bothered him. They bugged him. They were like buzzing gnats, nagging and stirring up trouble. He hated the gleeks and their stupid singing and noise making, and dancing. They were like a swarm of nerds buzzing around begging for attention. He hated swarms. He didn't like the the science geeks who studied biology...and insects. They actually had some fancy name for people who studied bugs. Entysomething. Gross. Who cared if the bbbb...bbb...bees were dying? He hated the nature lovers who whined about the environment and the animals and the bugs!

Berry was the worst. She was constantly ranting and rambling on and on and on... and singing, and bugging, bugging, bugging him. She also wore those horrible sweaters with animals and insects. Berry once told him her butterfly sweater was her favorite; she was bawling and screaming at him the whole time. He had just dumped a Grape flavored slushie all over her - and her precious butterfly sweater. Azimo thought he had been very considerate about the whole thing. He'd gone out of his way to get her favorite flavor. Plus, the Grape didn't stain as bad as the Cherry.

She shouldn't wear a sweater with a bug on it if she didn't want to get a slushie. Of course he had plenty of other reasons to douse her, but the sweater thing was working for him so far.

This week in school had been very stressful for him. The bugs were everywhere. They were in his classes and on his computer. They were the focus of films and someone had been tampering with his locker. He began to regret his blatant disregard for the warning he was given by the Skunker. Obviously, someone knew about his secret fear.

_**Previous week at Rachel's Lab Oratory. Continuation of the meeting with the girls and an unexpected visitor.**_

"His jacket is the key. He always has that jacket on. We need to get into the locker room while he is at practice. That is the only time I've ever seen him not wearing that letterman jacket. I hope he washes it once in a while - it must smell really awful." Rachel pinched her nose at the idea of having to handle the jacket herself.

Santana was idly playing with the little beetle bug that Rachel had placed in the center of the table. It looked like a very expensive, highly detailed, very tiny, three dimensional replica of a scarab. The workmanship was high quality and the little "bug" could easily have been mistaken for the real thing. However, it wasn't designed to be something to gaze upon, or so Rachel had said.

"This bug is a real bug?" Santana queried.

Rachel smiled and nodded at her curious friend. Of the three, Santana got the most excited when discussing the details of the next Op. She loved the tech stuff, she loved to sneak and she loved having secrets. Brittany liked having fun. If the Operation was presented as a means to challenge herself physically, or do something she had never done before, she was just as happy as Santana. Quinn didn't care about any of that. Her major concern was to keep Rachel out of harms way and to keep her from being caught. She put all of her focus on double and triple checking all of Rachel's plots for holes or weaknesses.

Rachel thought that Quinn would make an excellent assistant for Peter because of her overbearing need to drill Rachel multiple times about every single detail.

"Yes, it will record and transmit sound, much like our little GSM's, but it's got some very special additional attributes. Its got a chip with a tremendous amount of memory, which I have taken the liberty of recording and storing certain sound effects within. The volume can be controlled remotely and the range of the tiny amplifier is amazing. "

"I want to insert that _bug _into the collar of Azimo's jacket so it resides directly behind his head. I will pre program all of the sound effects in a particular sequence, which will slowly infiltrate his mind throughout the week. I can control the volume at will - in the beginning the sound will be so subtle he will hardly notice it at all. I will slowly increase the volume in stages and at opportune moments that will make him progressively more nervous and unstable. Finally, at a moment when he is being his most obnoxious, I will unleash its full potential. I'm most confident it will will generate a reaction that will surprise and amuse many people."

Quinn, Brittany and Santana were looking at Rachel with big eyes.

"But, more importantly, I hope to cure Azimo of his enjoyment of tossing slushies. He is still the worst of the offenders, he targets many people and influences the younger members of the football team. The Skunking didn't seem to bother him at all. I wonder if his olfactory sense was previously damaged?" Rachel mused absently before she continued. "He openly laughed at the Bad Poem I left in his locker. He actually shouted in the hallway, and I quote, "Bring it on you Skanky Skunker!"

"Harumph!" Stomp. " Well, I don't intend to abuse any real insects in this Operation. I don't believe in killing or torturing things...even bugs. But, I do intend on capitalizing on his phobia. Azimo Adams will be getting a weeks worth of free of Aversion Therapy: Bugs for Bad behavior!"

She smiled at the three of them serenely, pushed a stray lock of dark brown hair behind her ear and passed them each a folder. Quinn got a yellow folder, Brittany the Red, and Santana's, of course, was Blue. Rachel's smile was a bit sheepish after she realized how much it seemed like she really had "Color Coded" the Cheerio's.

"I made a copy of Azimo's schedule and crossed referenced it with each of ours. We'll take turns controlling the remote for the bug in his collar - based on who happens to be in attendance of the same class or activity that he is participating in. I've also worked out several other surprises to keep him off balance, which are listed on the outline."

Act II, Scene II: Don't Bug Me!

OPERATION: Bug The Bully.

1) Monday - Spider Webs.

2) Tuesday - E-Vid.

3) Wednesday - Rachel's Biology project - Fire Ants.

4) Thursday - Modern Farming and Agriculture. - A plague of Locusts

5) Friday = B Day. (Bee Day)

"Any Questions?"

Santana's mouth was hanging open, the metaphorical fly catching expression dominated her features before she crammed it shut and exclaimed.

"Christ Berry! The guy is going to be headed for the looney bin if we pull off everything on this list." But then Santana's more mischevious nature resurfaced, she grinned maniacally and rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"Nonsense Santana, although Azimo will find himself in some uncomfortable situations during the week he won't be permanently traumatized. We actually may even help him with this Entomophobia when all is said and done. Most importantly, I want to take the fun of throwing slushie's away from that big oaf. If I link his slushie throwing experience with his aversion to insects we might just get the job done.

Brittany chimed in with a question after looking through her folder. Her expression was very thoughtful and serious but Rachel could tell she was still very interested in the new Op.

"Why didn't you include Azimo in the Halloween Scene Rach? He's just as bad as David and Stephanie? Why does he get his own special Scene?" Quinn and Santana were both nodding in agreement with Brittany and it was clear they wanted to know as well.

Sigh.

"I wanted to include him for Halloween but I knew he wasn't going to the dance. He never goes to the Halloween Dance. I overheard him talking to Jeremy Miller, he was complaining about Halloween being a holiday for "fags and freaks" and he would rather go out and egg peoples houses instead. I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he did the night of the dance because my Dad and Daddy said our house got egged and toilet papered before we came home that evening."

Just as Rachel finished her last sentence someone pounded on the door.

"Rachel, it's me, Peter. I've got something I want to show you. Can I come in? Is Betty currently disabled?"

"Of course Peter, the door is unlocked and Betty is tucked away upon her hook." Rachel replied, at the same time getting up to open the door for her friend and mentor. But then she heard a very familiar voice.

"Hey dude, _watchit_. I was just stopping by to chill with my girl."

A very ruffled, silvery haired Peter opened the door and shoved Noah Puckerman into the room before him.

"The Maple's camera fed me an interesting little image of this delinquent with his ear pressed up against your door Rachel. I thought I should come over to let you know you were being spied upon. Do you want me to call the Police?"

"Noah!" Stomp. "Puckerman!" "Peckerman!" "Puck!" All four shouts rang out simultaneously.

Puck raised his hands in surrender before responding.

"Is that any way to treat your Jewbro Rach? I just stopped by to, you know... ah... I want in on the fun. Pleaseeee? I can get that bug into Azimo's Jacket for you Rach. You won't even have to touch the stinky thing if you let me handle it for you."

"Harumph!" Stomp!, "Oh. My. God.", "Ay Dios Mio! " "Puck is in big trouble!"

Peter was watching the teenagers with a wry smile. He could tell the girls were going to give the lad a hard time but he could also tell they held a great deal of affection for the boy. The kid was smooth, he'd give him that. His bargaining chip was a pretty good ante. He hadn't meant to spy on Rachel's meeting but she forgot to flip off the switch on her cameras again. For security purposes her cameras were linked to his system as well as her own - that way her workshop would be covered while she was at school during the day.

Puck narrowed his eyes at the three Cheerio's who were screaming at him louder than Rachel, if that was even possible. What were they doing here? They were up in Rachel's face at school, on a daily basis - making her life a living hell. Well, not Britt, but San and Quinn were like Heckle and Jekyll all over his Jewbro. Busted! _Damn that's hot_, he thought to himself as he watched Quinn wrap her arm around Rachel's shoulder and whisper something in her ear. Did she just kiss Rachel Berry? Yeah baby.

Snap! Snap,snap, snap! Santana was snapping her fingers in his face. He swatted them away and launched into a frontal assault.

"You girls are going to let me play in your little game or I am going to tell the whole school that Quinn is _baking_ Rachel's cookies." He leered at the oblivious couple. They were whispering at one another, obviously trying to figure out a way to snuff out _the magnificent_ Pukasaurus. Not happening girls.

"Alright young man." Peter stepped in to the fray. He grabbed the front of Puck's tee shirt in a fist. "You will not threaten my friends. I assume you know them well, but if you want to be included in their activities you will not blackmail them. You will ask politely. If they refuse, you will accept the refusal as a courteous gentlemen. I will bury you in my back yard if you do anything less. Do you understand me _young man!_"

Puck was about five inches taller than Peter but he felt dwarfed by the shorter man, who seemed to suddenly hover above him. Puck bobbed his head in silent agreement as Peter started to mumble something about his Rose bushes. What did he say? His Rose bushes needed some new fertilizer anyway? Aw fuck, this dude was the bomb!

"Sigh." Stomp, "SIGH." "Puck can be sneaky, that _can _be useful" " Yay! Puck is going to play with us."

Peter chuckled and winked at Rachel before leaving her with some words of wisdom and his unconditional support.

"He'll do Rachel, you know where to find me if he gets out of line. My Rose bushes are looking a little washed out and could use an infusion of teenage testosterone." All the girls were giggling at this statement while Puck pretended to be shocked and frightened.

Peter turned to leave and then remembered something.

"And Rachel... please remember to flip the camera switch to _off_ when you and Quinn are catching up on your alone time." He quirked his bushy eyebrows at the girls and chortled his way out the door.

Rachel and Quinn turned a lovely shade of Beet, Santana snorted happily and Brittany squealed, jumping up and down, laughing - her pony tail bobbing wildly.

"_Yeah baby_, that's what I'm talkin' about."

"NOAH!" Stomp. "Puckerman!" "Peckerman!" "Puck!"

Sigh.

**Azimo**

**Friday**

Four McKinley football players, proudly wearing their Red and White letterman jackets, strutted down the hall laughing and joking. Azimo Adams was leading the pack, grinning with satisfaction. He was going to make a post lunch delivery. That Skanky Skunker was not going to scare him anymore.

He decided the only way to gain his rep back after this horrible week was to get back to doing what he did best. Terrify the gleeks and losers. His favorite little target was just down the hall, hopelessly, pathetically unaware of what was about to come raining down upon that wild mane of dark lustrous hair. He was carrying two, large, Big Gulp Slushies.

But then it started to happen again.

_**"Buzzz...buzzz...buz...buzzzzzzz...bz...bzzzt...buzzzzz...bzzzt...buzz...bzzzt...bzz...buzzz...Buzzz...buzzz...buz...buzzzzzzz...bz...bzzzt...buzzzzz...bzzzt."**_

**"Aaaaa...Ack! Eeeeee...oooooooo...get off...get off...get away...aaahahaggg gahaaa... eeeeeeek."**

Jumping and spinning and panic occurred. High pitched boy screams, burly man arms flailing, and ice cold slushie's sailing in every direction. Up and down, and all around the hall, an intricate dance of hysterical mania was performed.

All four football players, including Azimo Adams were covered in Cherry slushie. The footballers were striding toward their favorite target when Azimo suddenly went berzerk. The two slushies he was carrying were forgotten in his desperate attempt to swat away the invisible, miniscule, horrifying buzzing attack. He managed to douse himself as well as the boys beside him in Ice cold Cherry slushie.

The Cherry slushie that was meant for Rachel Berry, who was standing at her locker obliviously coating her lips in a fresh layer of strawberry lip gloss.

"What the fuck Az?"

"A bbb...bbb...beee... abbbb...bb...bb...bee... atttt...atta...attacked me."

"A bbbb...bbbb...bee? Are you seven Azimo? You went ape shit over a bee?" Mickey Everson was ranting at the terrified football player who was still swatting at the air, spinning about in a sloppy squishy circle of slushie, waving the empty cups around, frantically making sure the buzzing bomber wasn't moving in for a second attack.

The hallway was filled with students returning from their lunch and preparing themselves for fifth hour. The spectacle was widely appreciated and soon the hallway was filled with the mocking laughter of Azimo's previous victims - which were many.

"Whoa... did you just see that? Azimo just slushied himself and his pack of goons. I told you the dude is losing his mind. He's been wandering around all week, freaking over spider webs and rambling about a buzz. 'I hear buzzing. Do you hear buzzing?' " Jeremy Miller was visibly shocked by what his friend had just accomplished in the hallway. He was really grateful he was running late from lunch, else he would have been amongst that sloshing, slushie dripping group of boys who had been targeting Berry.

Speaking of Berry, she must have some sort of death wish because she was, at this very moment, walking over to the very unstable boy who was still swinging the empty slushie cups in wild circles.

Dressed in a short navy skirt with ruffled trim, a white blouse with ruffles to match, knee highs and Mary Jane's; the tiny diva marched herself within five feet of the flailing boy and halted her progression with a stomp of her little foot.

"Azimo!"

Stomp.

"Azimo, you need to take a deep breath and listen to what I have to tell you. There are no bees in this school. There are no bees outside the school. There are no bees flying in all of Ohio in November. They have done their job for the year. They are in their hives preparing for their Winter cluster. You did not see a bee. A bee did not attack you. It would be impossible at this time of year. Do you understand me Azimo? Take a breath. Calm down. That's it... inhale, exhale,... inhale, exhale."

The massive boy finally stopped spinning and flinging his arms about. His eyes were still _bugging_ out of his head but the glazed over look was starting to fade.

Rachel talked the boy down from his CRAZY while all the other students watched with awe and worrisome fascination. How could she be so nice to this jackass? Didn't she know he was about to dump those slushie's on her head? Why is she trying to make him feel better?

"I think you must be hallucinating Azimo. Perhaps you should go see the nurse. Hallucinations are very serious side effects from drug abuse, or possible precursors of a very serious mental disorder such as Schizophrenia. It is common knowledge that Schizophrenia presents in young men when they are in their late teens. Perhaps you should schedule an appointment with a Psychiatrist, or at the very least, a qualified mental health professional."

Maybe she wasn't trying to make him feel better after all! That was typical Berry, running her mouth off in paragraphs, spewing out information you would rather not have with impeccably horrid timing.

Poor Azimo was drooping and deflated and very nearly on the cusp of another fainting spell. He finally dropped the empty slushie cups onto the floor, they clattered loudly in the quiet hallway. The students were all staring at him with big eyes. Buggy eyes. They were really starting to bug him.

**"Don't Bug Me!" **He shouted at the lot of them and then he started to cry.

Rachel nodded her head sadly at the boy before declaring that she would walk him to the nurses office. The little singer eased her way over to the broken football jock. He was wearing his letterman's jacket, she grabbed his elbow by the sleeve and tugged him along behind her. He followed her like a lost puppy.

**To Be Continued.**

_More Faberry in the next Chapter with a little drama between the girls._

_Thanks again to those of you who have taken the time to leave a review. :)_


	16. A little misunderstanding

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_A dash of the M factor - meaning sex in this chapter. Fair warning for those of you who don't like reading such content. _

**Chapter XVI. "A little misunderstanding."**

Rachel led Azimo past the principals office, past the nurses office and clear across another long hallway before they ended up in the choir room. She knew it would be empty during fifth period because Mr. Schuester was teaching Spanish, which she was going to be late for today. Azimo was in a hazy daze, very unaware of his surroundings but quite relieved to let Rachel lead him away from that awful episode in the hallway. She plopped him in a chair at the base of the raisers and waited for him to snap out of his fear induced fog.

Standing with her arms folded she leveled her gaze at the football player silently urging him to get it together. That wasn't really fair. She had, after all, just spent a whole week bombarding the boy with buzzing insect audio and videos. But now she was going to let him off the hook. The CRAZY HOOK he was convinced he was hanging from and bring him into a harsh reality. The reality that he had been played, outsmarted and furthermore would be blackmailed. Blackmailed into behaving like a decent human being.

Rachel snorted derisively out loud. She was suddenly getting irritated. Maybe she should walk away and let the big baby bully believe he was hallucinating bumble bees. Let him pee his pants and have horrible nightmares. The jerk had been carrying two Big Gulp Slushies with her name on them. Why did she feel sorry for the boy? But she did - because she knew, deep down, that he was very much weaker than she. Much more frightened than she had ever been, with little or no support from friends or family.

"Berry... why am I in the choir room and not the nurses office?" Azimo had come to himself while Rachel was reflecting.

Rachel huffed, thrust her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out a note. She handed it to him while explaining what it was.

"I found this in my locker on Monday morning Azimo. Read it so I don't have to go over everything twice with you."

He took the note with a quivering hand but managed to hold the paper steady while he perused its contents.

_Dear Rachel Berry._

_At some point during this week, probably after a lunch period, Azimo Adams will attempt to slushie you. He will not succeed. He will throw a fit and more than likely spill the drinks all over himself during his hysteria. You will then approach him, but keep a safe distance. You will calm him down by sharing the following information with him._

_There are no bees in the school._

_There are no bees outside the school_

_There are no bees flying in all of Ohio_

_The bees are in their hives preparing for Winter_

_You did not see a bee_

_A bee did not attack you._

_You are hallucinating._

_Do you do drugs?_

_You may have Schizophrenia._

_Suggest he see a Psychiatrist._

_After the apoplexy is over, tell him you will guide him to the nurses office but bring him to the choir room or the auditorium, whichever one is likely to be empty at the time. Give him this note to read. I will be near by, you need not worry about your safety._

_He is terrified of insects, bees in particular, and I have set him up to believe a bee was trying to sting him._

_He is not CRAZY, although I may seem mean by playing on his fears, but I am not malicious. I want him to know that he is as sane as he ever has been. He needs to know that he has been the victim of a practical joke. There is a device in the collar of his jacket. Please remove it and put it in your locker. I will retrieve it at my convenience. This device is responsible for the sound effects he has been hearing all week. _

_Azimo. _

_You will not smash or damage this device in any way. If you do you will regret your actions. You will give it to Rachel. You will not take your anger out on Rachel. I have used her because I knew she would take pity on you. Even though she knew you were going to slushie her - she was kind enough to show you this note. She could have walked away and left you to believe you were going insane. Make sure to thank her. And, for the rest of your High School career, make sure to leave her entirely alone. I am watching you._

_I have some further instructions for you which I will email to you this evening. Be sure to read them carefully. _

_Yours truly,_

_The Prankmaster, The Color Coder of Cheerios, The Skunker, The Bard of Bad Poetry, The Tricky Trickster._

Azimo dropped the note on the choir room floor and removed his letterman jacket. He felt along the collar and his hand stopped suddenly when it came upon a little bump.

"Bzzzz...buzzz...zzzz...bzzzt."

He gasped and dropped the jacket as though it singed his fingers.

"Fuck! Fuck,fuck,fuck...FUCK!" He raged and locked his eyes on Rachel who visibly flinched with each muttered profanity. He took a menacing step in her direction and she backed away from him slowly.

"Bzzzz...buzzz...zzzz...bzzzt."

Azimo stumbled, then faltered in his pursuit of Rachel. Even knowing that the bee wasn't real didn't prevent the visceral reaction he had to the buzzing sound. He was sweating profusely, his heart was racing and then the unthinkable happened; he pissed his pants in front of Rachel Berry. Azimo staggered over to the wall and leaned against it for support, turning his back away from the tiny diva he quietly begged her.

"Please take it away Rachel. Please... take it away." The boy was hugging himself tightly while silent sobs wracked his trembling body.

Rachel walked over to where his jacket lay on the floor. She picked it up and headed for the choir room door.

"I'm going to bring your jacket to the football players locker room and have it laundered. I'll take that thing out of the collar, pick up a pair of sweat pants for you and bring them back here. No one comes in here fifth hour Azimo, so you should just sit down and try and relax until I get back. I won't tell anyone about this incident, however, I do hope you take the advice of the Practical Joker. Whomever he is... he seems to have you at a disadvantage."

And with that said Rachel walked out the door and headed for the locker room where Puck was waiting for her. She handed him the jacket, told him to remove the bug first and then requested a pair of clean sweat pants in Azimo's size.

"What happened Rach?" Puck asked a little anxiously.

None of them had wanted her to escort Azimo on her own. They knew the boy was potentially very violent and didn't trust that he wouldn't take it out on Rachel. The others had wanted her to just let Azimo think he was going nuts. But Rachel couldn't condone that. She wanted him to change his behavior pattern, not end up becoming even more unstable and frightening to be around. She didn't think the boy would reach out to get help even if he was hallucinating. He didn't have a supportive home life. Besides, he had to know the truth if she was going to use him. Also, Peter would have her skin if she didn't get the bug back. This was his prototype and he had been very nervous about letting her use it.

In the end, she hoped Azimo would be intimidated enough by the Skunker's (her) ability to get to him. After he received the emailed instructions and the attached video, Azimo would have the same choice as Finn, Stephanie and David. He could follow her orders and become her helper. Or, be exposed via a video that was very similar to the video the others had seen - except that Azimo was the featured star.

"Rach?" Puck's voice was crackling with concern. She had wandered off in her mind and forgot to answer his question.

"He flipped out a little but he didn't try to hurt me or anything. He's waiting in the choir room and he needs those sweat pants Puck. That's all I'm going to tell you." Rachel stared him down until he nodded his agreement with her. " You did a commendable job with the bug Puck. Thank you."

"No problem babe. I'll go get those sweats so you can get on with your day. I bet you're dying inside being so late to class!" He teased and disappeared into the locker room.

Sigh.

This was getting kind of hard to cope with emotionally. If she didn't have to deliver those sweat pants to Azimo she would opt for her third floor office (janitors closet), her bucket seat and a good cry. And now, to top everything off, Quinn was going to be angry with her.

Sigh.

**Rachel and Quinn**

"You lied to me Rachel. "

Quinn was standing at the threshold of Rachel's bedroom door with her hands on her hips. She was wearing her Cheerio uniform, her face was flushed with anger and her beautiful hazel eyes were mostly green. They did that when Quinn got highly intense or emotional. The green specks seemed to spin and swirl wildly, smothering the softer golden tones - making her fiercely, beautifully, frightening. It was disconcerting to meet her gaze head on. This was Quinn the HBIC. Someone Rachel barely remembered because she hadn't been on the receiving end of that particular expression for quite some time.

"No, I did not lie to you." Rachel responded tersely, not liking the accusation in Quinn's voice, nor the anger burning in her mostly green eyes. She faced her girlfriend, mirroring the same pose. She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her gaze.

"I changed my strategy at the last minute Quinn, I didn't have time to get your permission, nor approval... and besides, Puck was waiting for me. He knew where to find me if I didn't show up on time."

Quinn was shaking her head no. She entered the room and closed the door with a soft click, leaning against it for a moment with her back to Rachel. She took a big breath before turning around, the anger completely gone from her stance replaced by a look of surrender and frustration.

"Rachel, you promised me you would not be reckless. You promised me you would not allow yourself to be alone with him. I saw how he flipped out in the hallway. How could you think you could control how he would react? How could you be so careless?"

Quinn's voice cracked with emotion, she wandered over to Rachel's bed and flopped herself down face first, burying her head in the pillows.

"I won't do this anymore." She whispered into the pillows.

Rachel was frozen, staring at her girlfriend fearfully. She'd heard what Quinn had mumbled into the pillow and her heart flipped over.

"Won't do what Quinn?"

Rachel asked from across the room. Her voice felt thick, she almost couldn't squeeze the words out of her mouth. All she wanted to do was jump upon her bed, climb onto her girlfriend and beg. Please don't mean what I think you mean Quinn. Her heart was slowly cracking, tearing itself in two. Was Quinn going to break up with her? Now? Because of what happened with Azimo?

"I won't hide any more and I won't pretend anymore Rachel. I am so sick of going to school every day and treating you like dirt in front of the whole student body. It literally sickens me Rach. You have to fix this somehow." Quinn was openly crying now, she rolled over to look at Rachel while she poured out her frustration and sorrow. Streams of tears were running down both cheeks.

"If people knew we were together Rachel...or even just friends. I would have been able to be with you today. I wouldn't have had to watch you walk away with that goon by yourself. I hate it Rachel. It hurts me so much to have to pretend that we still despise one another. I can't do it any more and I won't. You figure out how to make _US_ work in your Play Rachel or I am done with it." And then Quinn started to sob.

Rachel was on the bed in a heartbeat. She smothered Quinn with kisses and enveloped her in her arms. Her whole world had stopped spinning in that fearful moment. She would quit the stupid Play right now if it meant that she was hurting Quinn or would lose Quinn because of it.

"Shhhssh baby, it's okay. I'm sorry Quinn. I didn't know... I...I..didn't know that it was getting to you so bad. I thought you were fine with the way things were being played out at school. I thought you would be relieved that I wasn't pushing you to come out, or even... um, or even having to admit that we were at least friends now to everyone. You know...for your reputation. I felt it would be better for you...ttto... to... not put that kind of stress on you."

Quinn sat up abruptly, tumbling Rachel off of her.

"Is that what you think Rachel? Do you think I'm embarrassed by us? By you? That I would be ashamed to let everyone know we are together? That I love you?" Her voice was laced with hurt and disbelief, and the anger was resurfacing. She pushed that golden stray lock, the one that always escaped her pony tail, off of her face and glared at Rachel expectantly.

Rachel sat up. The two girls were staring at each other, completely perplexed by the confusing revelations.

"No. Um, maybe Quinn. We never talked about it. Your mom doesn't know about us and after last year, what you went through... I..I.. I just didn't want you to have to go through any more pain... or possible rejection. We never talk about it Quinn. Whenever I bring up the subject of _US_ in a conversation relating to your mother you push it aside. I don't know what to think Quinn. Everything has happened so fast. I had no idea you would feel comfortable being _OUT_ at school. You mother would surely hear about it if we were _OUT _at school_."_

Rachel was staring at the star on her quilt, tracing the outline of its pattern with her finger, unable to look at Quinn just now. Afraid, still, of how this conversation could sabotage the delicate balance of their relationship. Up until now they had been living in a bubble. A warm, safe, beautiful bubble of support. Support from Brittany and Santana, from her Dad and Daddy, Peter, and recently - as obnoxious as he was, even Puck seemed genuinely happy for them. But Quinn would never talk about Judy. Judy was always warm and open with Rachel but she didn't know that she and Quinn were together. Quinn's upbringing had been so sterile, so militant, and Judy had played a large part in creating the old Quinn. The cold Quinn. The HBIC Quinn.

"Rachel..." Quinn grabbed her wandering hand and gave it a tug. "Look at me."

Rachel glanced up, flinching a bit at the sorrow leaking through that smoky green gaze.

"My mother made me a promise Rachel. She promised I would always have a home with her when she begged me to come back. It was unconditional Rach. I don't care what she thinks about us Rachel and I intend to tell her tonight when I get home. If she can't handle this... us...our love..." Quinn gestured between the two of them. "Then she doesn't deserve me. She can toss me out again and I don't care. I survived being homeless last year, I'll survive it again."

Rachel was shaking her head no, no, no, denying that would ever happen. Quinn knew what Rachel's headshake meant and stopped her before she could offer the invitation.

"But it won't happen Rach. My mom has changed as much as I have. I'm sorry I wasn't more open with you about this. I...I...I'm still embarrassed and ashamed Rachel. But not about us...about the way I behaved, and the way my parents behaved. My mom is too. We've been working on things together. Trying to be more open with each other and less judging and just be better people. But it's hard sometimes to look at how we used to be and not feel horrible about it."

"When you're at home with me...I just wanted to keep things as normal as possible. I told my mother how I treated you in the past. How I abused and tormented you and she was horrified - she felt responsible. She said it was her fault for letting my dad influence me so strongly. So... um... when you come over she is really happy. Happy that I've made the effort to apologize and befriend you. I didn't want her thinking I was nuts by suddenly telling her we were in love. Most people would find it strange Rachel...because of our past. I wanted my mom to have the time to see me being a good friend first... and then...-"

Rachel allowed Quinn to ramble, the words were flowing naturally and she had never heard Quinn talk so much, so emotionally about herself or her family before. She could share her feelings for Rachel openly and often. But never before had she spoken about her family like this.

Rachel eased her way back on the pillows to recline against the headboard and allow Quinn to have her say without interruption. Now that the initial panic was over. The fear about Quinn leaving her was vanquished - she was content to relax and listen and support her girlfriend however she could.

Quinn, without even noticing, had followed Rachel up the bed and was leaning over her dark eyed diva goddess. Her voice had evened out and softened. Gone was the anger and frustration. Gone was the worry and fear. Rachel was listening to her. Rachel would allow them to be together in public. Rachel cared more for Quinn than she did her Play. Why was it so important for Quinn to know that? Why was it so hard for Quinn to accept that Rachel really loved her?

That was all part of the process wasn't it? If Quinn felt unworthy of love than how could she possibly return such love? Her ultimatum to Rachel was really unfair. But she wouldn't back off of what she said. Rachel needed to come up with a clever way by which Quinn could talk to her at school. Be kind and caring and act like a friend at least. She could no longer put on that hostile act. Even though it was an _act -_ it was destroying Quinn inside. Because of how familiar and reviled her past behavior was.

They stopped talking and were just staring at one another. The tears had ceased flowing and they searched each others souls for understanding. Quinn found herself in a familiar trance. The comfortable heady lull that encompassed her whole body when she lost herself inside that deep brown gaze. Bewitched by the dark eyed diva. She bent down slowly and captured a full bottom lip. A pouty lip that protruded and begged to be kissed, and licked... and sucked.

Tiny hands had worked their way beneath her skirt and were caressing and squeezing the firm muscles of her ass. _When did that happen? Oh my God that feels amazing. _ Her lips were sucking on Rachel's neck while her hand had slipped beneath the ruffled blouse and was currently gliding along an upward path. Rachel was panting and begging for more.

Quinn silenced her with a heated kiss. Their conversation was lost in the wake of the rolling wave of passion that consumed them. Rachel was clawing at her Cheerio uniform in a frenzy, while Quinn simply ripped that ruffled blouse in two. Too impatient to deal with buttons she grabbed the opening at the top and just yanked. Little white pearly projectiles soared across the room in varying directions. Rachel's face mirrored the animal lust that rippled through Quinn's body.

Together they danced the dance of dominance and surrender. Each giving and taking what was needed, proclaiming their love and devotion to one another. Rachel nipped and sucked at Quinns jaw and neck, she clawed the Cheerios back.

"Take me Quinn... I need you inside me baby... now... please. Don't tease Quinn. I want you now." Quinn wanted to tease, wanted Rachel to beg. Quinn loved it when her eyes were wild with fire and need, and that gorgeous body squirmed. When those dancers legs were flexed and tight and her hips were thrusting forward. Pushing herself toward Quinn, desperately pulling at Quinn's hand, guiding it to where she wanted.

Quinn would allow her that much and then she stopped and waited. She watched Rachel squirm beneath her. Almost out of her mind with want and desire moaning and pleading - knowing that Quinn would not deny her. Knowing that the wait would serve to make her pleasure more intense.

Hours passed in a thick heady haze of heavy emotions juxtaposed beside an insatiable carnal lust.

Soft lips were kissing her very center while a talented tongue was teasing the folds. So slow and sure that sensual mouth devoured her very being. Dragging it out. Licking, circling, teasing back and forth. Building up the tension over and over again, bringing her to the edge and then easing back. Kissing softly, blowing soft puffs of air, tasting with the stroke of a tongue. Again and again, all the while slowly pushing in and out with gentle teasing fingers.

"Rach...no more...please... Rach...ellll... pleasssee..."

And finally, she thrust her fingers inside curling them just so, while at the same time pulling her sensitive nub into that hot, hot mouth. Flicking her tongue with a purpose biting down gently and, and, and... aaaaaahhhhhhhh.

Oh. My. God.

Quinn passed out.

_Some little time later._

Rachel's head was pillowed upon Quinn's tummy, the grin she wore unseen, but it shone with devilish delight and smug satisfaction. That would teach Quinn for making her beg. She kissed the smooth tight surface of her girlfriends belly and patiently waited for Quinn to come back from the dead.

She felt a tremulous touch upon her head, focused through a view of creamy voluptuous twin peaks, to meet the green eyed gaze of dreamy sensual perfection. Bedroom eyes indeed.

"Hi" Rachel whispered.

"I think you broke me." Quinn pouted.

Peals of laughter. Rachel squirmed up the bed to rest her head on Quinn's shoulder, allowing her girlfriend to wrap her in strong arms.

"No sweetheart, I did not break you. I was just attempting to build up your endurance. You did remarkably well considering the warm up we had before hand.

Quinn slapped Rachel's bottom and snuggled them closer together. She whispered into her ear.

"I love you so much...I love you Rachel... I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you how I was feeling."

"It's okay Quinn... I love you too. Soooo much..."

Sigh...

"Quinn?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did you mean it? About telling your mom? About school?"

"Yeah. I did Rach. I am totally going to talk with my mother tonight. Even with my brains fucked out. I am so telling her."

"QUINN!"

"You say curse words while were making love Rach, give me a break here. I'm still trying to get back into my body from whatever Universe you sent me to. "

"Harumph... I'll concede that point to you. But, if you are serious about everything we talked about before - make sure to check you email when you get home. After your conversation with your mom. After you've called me to tell me what happened. Oh my God."

Rachel sat up with the sudden realization of what Quinn was actually intending to do.

"Quinn! Do you want me to come with you? What if the worst thing happens...I...I...don't want you to be alone. What if you have to pack? I should be there with you."

Quinn smiled up at Rachel, she grabbed a flailing, expressive arm and dragged the tiny diva back on top of her, snuggling them back together.

"No Rach... it will all be fine. I know it will and I promise I will call you as soon as it's over. Now, what email were you blathering about a little while ago?"

"Are you sure?"

Nod

"Um, okay...the Color Coder of Cheerios is going to send you instructions. You know, the Prankmistress who kidnapped you on Halloween?"

Nod.

"You and Santana Lopez will be in charge of Rachel Berry's personal guard at school. That means you will have to follow her around all day and attend to her every need. You will have to be nice to her and even pretend that you like her. Eventually, it will be evident that you really, _really_ like her."

**To Be Continued.**

Next Chapter - Quinn's conversation with her mom, dinner with the Berry's and Act II, Scene III of Rachel's Play: Bagging the Blogger.

_I Hope you all stick around to see what happens. I'm going to do my best to move this story along. I won't rush it because I want to follow it through to the completion I have planned. But, I intend to write longer chapters, which will probably mean a little more distance between the updates. Thank __you all so very much for taking the time to review and alert this story. I am always thrilled to hear what you think. Good or bad I would love to hear from you. _


	17. Bagging the Blogger

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Sorry for the long delay. I am going to stop making predictions about my chapters because this one is way short. My real life is taking over my fanfiction addiction and I can't seem to find the time to write. I did want to update, however, so I hope you are all still out there._

**Chapter XVII. "Bagging the Blogger."**

**(Friday evening - late after returning from Rachel's)**

**Judy and Quinn**

"Quinn...honey I want you to sit back down and finish this conversation with me... you aren't listening to what I'm saying, you're jumping to conclusions. We don't do that anymore with one another. Remember?"

Quinn was circling the dining table, pacing around one way, stopping and circling back around the other. Each time she came within three feet of where her mother was sitting she pivoted on her foot and circled back around.

Sigh.

Arms folded across her chest she plopped herself back into her vacated chair, thinking that she could have been a little smoother with the delivery of the news. She did sort of just dump in on her mother without bothering to ease into a conversation first. Maybe having her brains fucked out had done something to her common sense. She smiled at the thought before twisting her features back into the protective sneer that came as second nature to her.

"Quinn, I am not upset by what you said...that you think you're...gay. That was not the part that upset me. I'm just a little confused. You came in here like you were ready to do battle and then announced that you are in love with Rachel and that you are gay. Sweetie, I just wonder if this isn't some sort of repressed guilt playing itself out. I can't help but wonder if you're trying to overcompensate for your past behavior. "

"NO!"

"No?"

"No Mother you don't get to do that with me. I know that your therapy is helping you and I know that you want me to go too... but you don't get to project whatever goes on in those sessions onto me. You have repressed guilt mother. I'm sure I probably do too...but that doesn't make my feelings about Rachel any less true, or real. That doesn't mean I'm not gay Mother. Because I will tell you this. If Rachel broke up with me. If she decided she didn't love me or want to be with me after everything we've been through...I...I...would be devastated. I would be crushed. But you know what else?"

Quinn's voice dipped into a dulcet calm as the awareness of what she was going to say settled upon her whole body. An awareness that seemed to seep in all at once and anchor deep within her heart and soul. A knowing. It fit like a glove and snuggled her securely helping her to sit up straight and proud. For the first time in her life she knew something about herself that felt true and right.

Judy shook her head from side to side, a silent no, and waited for Quinn to finish her thought.

"I would look for this again. I know I could never hope to find the same feelings or experience the same type of contentment and joy. But I would seek to find a similar love...it makes me whole mother, a...an... and happy. I understand myself so much better now... I'm learning not to hate myself and it's so easy to do Mommy... because Rachel makes it so easy for me to love... that I see myself through her eyes... because she sees me... she sees all of me. She knows the dark of me and the light of me and she loves it all...all of me..."

Quinn trailed off, she kind of got lost in what she was trying to convey but it didn't really matter. The look upon her mothers face was enough to make her stop explaining.

Awe.

Judy was struck deeply by her daughters words. Quinn didn't talk like that. Quinn never expressed her feelings and here she was spouting off how happy and whole she felt and that she didn't hate herself anymore.

The very idea that her daughter had hated herself and was very aware of that self hatred cut Judy to the core. She had done that. She and Russell had created an environment of fear and intolerance that had poisoned their children. Abbey was every bit as bitter and ugly in her ideology as Russell was. Judy couldn't imagine her older daughter having such an insight as Quinn just had.

In the span of three months Rachel Berry had worked her charms upon her daughter. Worked these miraculous changes. The little diva was sweet and kind and polite - so well mannered every time she visited with Quinn in their home.

Judy quite liked Rachel. Who was she to say that Quinn could not be with this girl? Not love this girl? Who was she to say that Quinn must give up that which made her happy? So very happy. Judy had rarely seen her daughter laugh or smile, and now, it was something she enjoyed upon a daily basis.

Quinn was right. She was projecting. And, did it matter if Quinn's feelings _were_ born of repressed guilt? Or whatever other nonsense theory she was willing to adopt in an effort to keep her daughter from having further pain. Because she didn't want her baby to have a harder life... and being gay would be hard. But that wasn't something Quinn couldn't change about herself could she...or deny. She would not challenge Quinn about this. She would educate herself first, before making ignorant assumptions or judgments. For now, Judy was happy that Quinn was happy.

Sigh.

"Come here baby." Tears were streaming down Judy's face as she held out her arms to embrace her youngest child.

"I love you Quinn...I'm so proud of you...and so happy for you... and Rachel."

Sniffle.

"Thank you mommy." Quinn mumbled into Judy's shoulder. She had climbed into her mothers lap and let herself be held like a baby. She hadn't called her mother "mommy" in many, many years, but for some reason tonight - she needed her _mommy_ to be here with her. There was a time when their family had been happy, when Quinn was very young but she still remembered that feeling of being safe. Her mother would hold her, just like now, and whisper.

"I love you Quinny and everything is going to turn out right. You'll see."

Sigh.

"Do you think Rachel and her Dad's would like to have dinner with us?"

Smile.

**Act II, Scene III: Bagging the Blogger**

**Jacob Ben Israel**

**(Monday morning before first bell)**

"Oh no...ooooh...no...no...noooooooooo."

This can't be happening. The young boy pushed up his glasses and ran his hand through the mass of unruly curls. This can't be fucking happening. Who?, How?, Why?... How?... How the fuck did this happen?

ba bump..ba bump..ba bump..BA BUMP...BABUMP.._BABUMP...__**BABUMPBUMPBABUMP **_... beat his heart - faster and faster, louder and louder. A filmy layer of sweat covered his brow and started to drip down the side of his face. His glasses were steaming up and a little drool started to pool in the corner of his mouth as he focused intensely on the problem before him.

Clickety clack, clickety clack, clack, clack... click,click,click. Hurry, hurry, _HURRY_ went his fingers over the keyboard in the computer lab. Frantically trying, again and again, to log into his account. He was frozen out of his own fucking account... and his Blog. _His Blog! Oh my God. I am dead meat. OH MY FUCKING GOD. _

He could only shake his head in wonder at the poor quality of the video that was running in a loop on his daily Blog for McKinley High. That wouldn't matter, how good or real the video appeared. The person who was responsible for its presentation would get the blame - him! But he did not post this clip. Who the fuck had? The video itself was probably no more than thirty seconds of footage but it kept playing on repeat, over and over and over. AcK!

Sue Sylvester and William Schuester were locked in a repulsively passionate kiss. Their mouths were fully occupied, latched tightly together - sucking each others souls out, in what could easily be mistaken for a scene in a B movie horror flick. But, what they were doing with their hands was revolting and gross...ew...just ewww. Mr. Schuester was fondling and squishing Sue Sylvester's right breast while Sue was clasping and kneading his ass.

OH MY GOD.

The captions above the video were switched every time the loop repeated. They were little cartoon thought bubbles appearing above the head of each teacher.

_(Sue) "I'd like to spank this tight little yummy bubbly bum." _

_(Will) "ummmm, hold still wench, I'm trying to feel you up."_

The article below the video was short and to the point.

"It appears as though the hostility between our very own legendary Champion Cheerio Coach (Sue Sylvester) and the wannabe Backstreet Boy Glee Advisor (William Schuester) was just some silly old sexual tension. Now that they have dealt with their underlying _horn dog_ issues, maybe they can go back to doing what they do best: Coaching and Teaching_."_

_(Sue) "You're a very naughty boy William and naughty boys get punished."_

_(Will) "Yes Sue, I want it. I want it so, so bad."_

"Hopefully, the Cheerios will pull the _stiffy sticks_ out of their collective asses and start focusing on winning that big trophy for whatever championship they are currently vying for. More and taller pyramids _please_ - the better to look up your skirts I say, and less slushie facials!"

_(Sue) "Do you want the paddle or the whip?"_

_(Will) "Yes Please!"_

"And, I can only dream, but now that Mr. Schuester is finally getting a _little somthin' somthin', _even though he's settling for a depraved dominatrix, (in lieu of the foxy little Ginger with the sanitation fetish) hopefully;he will come to his senses and award _My Love _the solos she so rightly deserves. I would also like to suggest that Rachel's costumes all include short and shorter skirts - preferably panty free. As an afterthought, I would love to acquire those used garments she will no longer be needing - I'll pay in cash."

That's it for the _Hot Spot_ at Mckinley today.

_ACE Reporter,_

_Jacob Ben Israel._

What was truly disturbing to Jacob is that most of what was written reflected his personal style and flair for the perverse. Those were the types of inflammatory slurs he would have written had he stumbled upon this video. But, he would never in a billion years post it on his Blog. Of course he would have fantasized about using it for his Blog, but there was only one person in this school that was _off limits_ to Jacob Ben Israel's Blog.

Sue Sylvester.

Sue will have him castrated after many hours of slow torture, eventually, he will be murdered in cold blood by her Tinker Spy Guy. His body will never be found. Ohhhhh...noooo... Oh... no...

"I have to _get_ _THE FUCK OUT_ OF _HERE!_"

Jacob squealed at his computer screen, he smashed his fleshy fist against the keyboard one last time before he bolted out the door. First bell was going to ring at any moment and the halls would soon be flooded with rampaging Cheerios weilding their _stiffy sticks_.

**Sue Sylvester, Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce, Finn Hudson, Stephanie Hanson, David Karofsky, Azimo Adams**

**(Monday morning, half an hour before first bell)**

"Brittany what are you doing here?"

Coach Sylvester was somewhat irritated by the presence of the ditsy blonde but not surprised. She and Lopez were a packaged deal and that usually didn't bother her, however, today was different. Brittany would never be a victim of the vicious vengeance seeking vigilante. She was too sweet, too generous and just too God awful, overwhelmingly innocent and good.

Sue didn't want her involved, even by association, in this gathering. The people in this room were here because they earned the right to be. They were mean, nasty, ambitious, power seeking, remorseless bullies; the social elite of the school. This was a meeting of the truly depraved and the likes of the benevolent bimbo Cheerio should not be in attendance at this meeting.

"I'm with San Coach...are you really going to spank him?"

Brittany asked her Cheerleading mentor curiously, bobbed her head and proceeded to snap a ginormous wad of green bubble gum. Sour apple by the color and the fruity sweet aroma that permeated the room. The fragrance served to mask the foul stench that emanated from the lack of personal hygiene practiced by the overly ripe teenage males in the room.

She hated to kick Pierce out - that bubble gum was one hell of an air freshener. She would happily stick a well chewed piece in the hair of every smelly boy in this school if she had the funds for such an endeavor.

Sigh.

What had Pierce just asked her? Spank who? She didn't have time for Brittany's bizarre free associations today, so she ignored the strange inquiry and addressed the other issue.

"Not today Pierce. I don't want any distractions. Most days I appreciate your ability to smooth Lopez's ruffled feathers but today I want her gnarly edges honed. Go find someone to Cheer up and make sure to tell them I'm responsible. How about that Cindy girl? The one who broke her wrist when Stephanie tripped her."

Sue intentionally baited the Sophmore Cheerio, she threw that comment out to see what reaction it would elicit from the budding Sociopath. Stephanie's face lit up with joy at the mention of her evil deed but she recovered quickly enough, squeezing her features into a petulant expression that could possibly be regret, if not remorse.

The seven students were seated in Sue's office on fold out chairs that she provided for this meeting. Standing with her arms folded across her chest, leaning against the front of her desk, she eyed the group with a fixed determination. What had the mysterious mastermind of mayhem instructed these six black sheep to do? Each of them were emailed instructions on Friday evening a moment before midnight.

Brittany huffed sadly, whispered something to Santana before folding up her chair and returning it to the little cart in the corner. Stalling for time, she wandered back over to where she had been sitting, smiled down at Santana and kissed her on the top of the head. She patted Quinn on the shoulder and was just about to launch into a lengthy and undoubtably goofy goodbye to the rest of the group but Sue cut her off.

**"**_**PIERCE!**_**"**

"Yeah Coach?"

Sue Sylvester extended her hand with the palm facing up.

Brittany slurped and sucked loudly on her wad of bubble gum, chewed furiously for and additional second or two, before reluctantly walking over to the Coach and plopping the juicy lump in Sue Sylvesters greedy palm. She muttered, "Yummy bubble bum."

_"_What was that _Pierce_?"

"I like my yummy bubble gum, Coach!"

Snorts and snickers could be heard, suspiciously from where Santana and Quinn were sitting. The rest of the group was trying to muffle their laughter as well - it brightened Brittany's mood, she smiled and waved at the duo before tromping out of Coach's office with a purpose in her step. She would go find Cindy but not before she paid a visit to the Janitor's closet on the third floor.

Sue smashed the gob of aromatic gum onto the surface of her desk . She stuck it near the right corner directly in front of the boys in the room. They were all seated in a little cluster puffing out their chests as though they were here for some sort of special acknowledgment - instead of the simple truth; that they were stupid, careless numbskulls who had been caught on camera, multiple times, acting like mindless neanderthals.

The girls weren't much better. Q. was, as always, cooly indifferent, Lopez was sneering at Hanson who was more than likely fantasizing about her future career as a successful serial killer. UGH.

Aside from all of that, however, Sue couldn't help but notice that none of the kids were meeting her gaze. Every time they looked at her a slight blush would creep upon their faces and they would avert their eyes. Like they had some secret she shouldn't know about. Or, more likely, they new something they should be telling her but were not.

"Alright, lets hear it. Spill! What were your instructions? Hudson you go first."

Deciding to put the group as ease after Brittany left, Sue took her seat behind the desk, leaned back casually and prepared herself to listen.

"Huh?" Finn Hudson squinted his eyes at the Coach in confusion, his face turned beet Red before he found a hole on the hem of his tee shirt to pick at.

"What did the Skunker say in his email Finn?" Sue asked, impatiently tapping her fingers on the arm rest of her chair.

"Oh... ummm... he said I had to watch out for Giles and Cindy but that I couldn't talk to them. I'm supposed to follow them around as much as I can and make sure no one slushies them or trips them or says mean things. He turned to glare at Stephanie while he was speaking. "

"That's it? That's all he said?"

"Um... yeah. But he also said he would email more stuff next...um...next um... "

Finn paused for a moment, his face turned an even deeper shade of Red. Everybody waited on pins and needles for him to finish his sentence. It was well known that Finn Hudson was just as much of a 'Blurt Spurter' as Brittany Pierce. Whatever teeny thoughts were lingering on the forefront of his mind had to be addressed before the idiot boy would function properly.

"...do...ddd..do you really have a whip?"

"Snort!"

"Excuse me?" Sue leapt out of her chair, huffing with indignation.

Quinn Fabray quickly covered Santana's mouth with a hand, in the hopes of preventing a further outburst but it was too late.

Coach Sylvester was leaning over the desk, her body tensed and ready to strike.

"Coach wait." Quinn rushed over to step in front of Finn. "I don't really know how to say this Coach but, um... did you happen to read Jacob's Blog this morning?"

"No, why would I? The only time I've read that slimy slugs sadistic slander is when my Cheerios have disgraced me. She flexed an eyebrow at the Captain and her Second. "What have you done this time Q.? If you have another bun in the oven you can...-"

"No Coach." Quinn interrupted. "It's not me this time, or any of the squad. There's a video of you and Mr. Schuester... it um...it ... er...-"

Quinn was starting to sweat. She knew it was important to pretend to be all innocent and frightened in front of the Coach, but a part of her just wanted to burst into giggles. Rachel had really outdone herself this time. The whole thing was so fucking hilarious that if she stopped, even for a second, to think about those images - she would start to laugh uncontrollably.

"The vid shows you mackin' on Mr. Schue Coach, and grabbing his ass and shit, and goin' all Dom on the poor man."

Santana provided the details that Quinn couldn't gather up the courage to share. At that point the rest of the students in the room lost all restraint. Each of them inserting a piece that was left out in Santana's very succinct description.

"But Mr. Schue liked it." "Oh yeah, and he was squeezing your boob." "You said he had a yummy bum." "He called you a wench!" "He wants the paddle _and_ the whip." "_Naughty_ boys get punished!"

That last statement echoed through her mind as she raced through the hallways on her way to the computer lab. 'Naughty boys get punished!' When she got her hands on Jewfro he would wish himself unborn. She fled her office once the sordid details had started to sink in. She would make sure he took the video down first and then he was in for bloody hell. Invisible steam was pouring out of her ears, the masses of indolent bottom feeders were diving out of her way, getting the hint as she plowed over the unfortunates who moved to slow.

_**"There he is..." **_Was shouted from down the corridor, and a second later the boy she was pursuing was fleeing in her direction. Trailing behind was a pack of Cheerios shrieking wildly, screaming, "_stiffy sticks!_"

Jewfro was wailing, "eeeeeeeeeeek, it wasn't meeeeeee, aaaaaack, I didn't do it...eeeeeee."

The boy was running for his life, frantically looking over his shoulder at the posse of Red and Black and White that was hunting him down. Unaware of what was planted in the hallway directly in front of him.

Poor Jacob.

**To Be Continued.**

_Thank you all for the great reviews. I hope you stick around to see what happens._


	18. Just Desserts

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This chapter completes Act II, Scene III of Rachel's play. It also delves a bit into the future of the Faberry relationship as seen by Quinn and Rachel's parents. Thanks so much to those of you who continue to follow along._

**Chapter XVIII. "Just Desserts."**

_Jewfro was wailing, "eeeeeeeeeeek, it wasn't meeeeeee, aaaaaack, I didn't do it...eeeeeee." _

_The boy was running for his life, frantically looking over his shoulder at the posse of Red and Black and White that was hunting him down. Unaware of what was planted in the hallway directly in front of him._

**Sue Sylvester, Jacob Ben Israel.**

He crashed headlong into a solid wall of bright Red Adidas. As tall as a tree she seemed, gazing down upon him, grasping at his head with searching, outstretched limbs. He was snatched by the collar of his shirt and yanked off his feet. He forced himself to peer into the ice blue orbs of his abductor, knowing in the depths of his shallow, shallow being that he was wholly trapped.

"Ohhhh...nooooooo..." Was all that Jacob could think of to say. It had become a mantra of a sort, ever since this early morning while attempting to log onto his Blog.

"Ohhhh...nooooooo..." The words desperately trailed out of the boys mouth. Sue had to smother a chortle and refrain herself from chanting, "Mr. Bill."

"You're right about that Jewfro. Big, very big** Oh,** **No No** on your part. What was it I heard about your little foray into the world of _titillating,_ _tawdry, character persecution? _"Naughty boys get punished!" Well, that is very true Jacob Ben Israel. Naughty boys _do_ get punished and some of them also _disappear!_

" I didn't do it...it wasn't meeeeeeee..."

Sue dragged the boy throughout the corridors of the school, students scattered in their wake, ghoulishly speculating upon the imminent demise of Jacob Ben Israel. The Cheerio hunting party gave up the chase the moment their Coach had Jewfro in her clutches. He didn't even put up a struggle.

She tugged the boy along by the scruff of his frizzy curls and wondered if William's hair was equally untame? How hard would it be to break into Schuester's house? How many cartons of Dippity Doo would she have to confiscate? What she wouldn't give to witness the witless wonder of woeful Willfro. She started to chuckle, these thoughts were making her decidedly _gleeful_.

Upon entering the computer lab, Sue shoved the whimpering boy into the nearest work station and encouraged him to get busy. Leaning into his personal space she spat into his face.

"Remove that vile file this very moment young man!"

Jacob flinched, raising his hands in surrender before squeaking out a reply.

"I...I...ccc..can't."

Sue narrowed her steely gaze at the boy.

"You _will_ do as I say Jewfro_!"_

"I...I...ccc..can't...I..I...I.I'm locked out of mmy account. I sss...swear I didn't do it Coach. I wouldn't be that dumb. Someone hacked my blog and uploaded that video. I..I..I spent half an hour trying to take it down this morning but I couldn't get log into my _OWN _account. "

Sigh.

Sue knew the slimy, squirmy, scum bag was telling her the truth. Jacob wasn't the Prankster. But maybe he was using this ploy to throw her off his trail - trick her with reverse psychology: 'It couldn't be me because why would I do something so stupid?' Hmm?

"Try again, try right now to log into your account. Prove to me that you can't gain access and I will consider the possibility that you may be innocent."

Sue knew it would be very easy for the boy to fake the attempt. But, for some reason, she believed what he had told her. Fear was the best motivator and Jewfro was unquestionably terrified.

"Alright..um..I..I'll try." The boy pushed up his horn rimmed glasses with a trembling hand, all the while sniveling and mumbling under his breath. "I didn't do it... I'm not that suicidal.."

"We'll see Jacob... we'll see just how suicidal you are about to become. Get on with it."

Clickety, clack, clickety clack, clack,clack. Click, click, click... Clack! Quack! Ugh...Erm...

"Ohhhh...noooooo_."_

_"_What does that mean Jacob? Why are you _Oh no..ing again_?"

"Because the stupid thing is working now...arrgggh... um...I..I've got access to my account again."

Sue lifted her leg, planted her adidas sneaker on the edge of Jacob's chair and gave it a powerful shove. The chair, and the boy, wheeled across the room at amazing speed. Hmm... that would be a fun event in this years Office Olympics, Sue mused as she watched the teenager spin and twirl before coming to a crashing halt against the wall.

We could call it Human Curling. Sue nodded, mentally reminding herself to write that down when she was finished with this teenaged turnip.

Shaking her head to clear the random clutter, Sue focused on the computer screen catching her first glimpse of the _heated tryst _between herself and William Schuester.

_Disgusting._

Her face turned Red, and then Purple, and then White - and then Red again. All the while she read the little bubbles of words while consequently forgetting to breathe as she witnessed William Schuester defile her breast with his claw like man paw. She wanted to hurl as her own hands squished and patted his "bubbly' posterior.

"Yummy bubble bum." That's what Brittany Pierce had muttered before sacrificing her bubble gum.

Jacob picked himself off the floor and attempted to slip away while Coach Sylvester was preoccupied with the video and having a rather grumpy conversation with herself.

"These teenagers. These horny, hormonal, humping, maladapted, mangy, mutants. These future leaders of the free world would be her downfall... they were pushing her over the edge into an early descent of existential naval gazing."

Jacob slowly, oh so slowly rotated his body until he was facing the exit. Just one tiny step at a time, he began to inch his foot forward...

"Don't even think about it Jewfro! Get back over here _now_ and remove this revolting rubbish."

Darn!

He grabbed the back of the now damaged chair, morosely wheeled it back to the computer and sat himself down to complete the task that was demanded of him.

Clickety clack, clickety clack...clack, clack, clack... select...delete.

"There... it's gone. Whew!" Jacob whispered that last sentiment not believing for a moment that he was out of the woods with Coach Sylvester.

Sue Sylvester was standing with her arms crossed staring intently and nodding absently at the computer screen.

"You know Jacob, the quality of that video was awful. It's apparent that whomever put it together superimposed myself and William Schuester's faces and costumes over some previous footage of an anonymous couple. How hard is that to do Jacob?"

Jacob Ben Israel wanted to laugh and cry simultaneously. Coach Sylvester just admitted his innocence.

"Ahh... um... it is really hard to do that type of editing, splicing, and overlay Coach. To do it well, I mean. Anyone can do a hack job, like the one I just deleted... if they have film editing software - most computers do nowadays. I don't think the video was meant to be taken seriously Coach. I think it was meant to be an embarrassing joke. It kind of worked out that way didn't it Coach?"

Jacob was sort of stunned with a sudden realization. This prank was obviously aimed at him. Not Coach Sylvester and William Schuester, although they were the secondary targets. But the true purpose was to expose _his Blog_. The only person who had the power to make him stop was standing right beside him. She could ruin his life with the blink of an eye. Whoever it was that hacked his Blog was sending him a message.

Oh God! They were sending him a message at that very instant. His jaw dropped open as he read the words that crossed his screen with Sue Sylvester peering over his shoulder.

**"Hello Jacob. Hello Coach. I see you've managed to come to an agreement and work out your little misunderstanding. Don't worry, I have an unlimited supply of tasteless, crude and debauched videos to upload at my leisure. **

**Your Blog has been the buzz around the school all morning Jacob. From my count it received more hits in that two hour span than at any other time in the history of its pathetic conception. I have **_**ABSOLUTE POWER**_** Jacob. I can swoop into your private little world whenever I choose. You can change your domain, start a new account, get a private server. None of that will matter Jacob. I will always be able to break in. You need to figure out a new way to report your news Jacob. A kinder way. **

**I'm not asking you to stop gossiping. Everyone loves gossip. I am telling you to stop being a**_** PERVERT**_**. Stop stalking and harassing the girls at school. If I see one more UP THE SKIRT VID on this site, or hear of any extortion for panties - or blackmailing for kisses and copping a feel: I WILL GET YOU JACOB BEN ISRAEL. **

**YOU WILL GO TO **_**JUVIE**_** FOR THE REST OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER WITH WHAT I DISCOVERED ON YOUR HARD DRIVE. Don't even try and erase it or cover your tracks because it's already documented. Besides, I'll just upload **_**those **_**files onto your Blog. **

**I'm sure the whole school would be fascinated by your little fetish, or should I say Fetishes'? My spelling is horrible - What I mean to say is your penchant, your predilection for multiple genres of kink. I am not one to judge these things. I will keep your secrets for now. I do, however, suggest you follow my advice.**

**Yours truly,**

**The Heartless Hacker,**

**(The Color Coder of Cheerios, The Skunker, The Stealer of Pens, The Bard of Bad Poetry, The Tricky Trickster, The PrankMaster, and last but not least: The Bagger of Blogger's.)**

**...**

**Rachel and Brittany**

"Tell him I want my duck back Rach."

Brittany was angrier than Rachel had ever seen her. Wait a minute. Rachel had never seen Brittany angry before. But, right this moment, her sweet and gentle friend was clenching her fists and scrunching her brow. Brittany had glimpsed some of the photos in Jacob's "_collection_" which Rachel had stolen from his hard drive.

Jacob acquired items from the girls at school he thought were _hot_. He either paid someone to steal them for him or resorted to extortion and blackmail. After perusing his private on line journal, Rachel was privy to the unmentionable _lewd_ _behavior _he performed with said items. Ewwww. Ick...just ew.. gag...ick.

"I really don't think you want your duck back Britt. I promise we'll get you a new one but you don't want _that_ duck back."

Rachel and Brittany were perched on bucket seats, in her third floor office (Janitor's closet) watching the drama unfold within the computer lab. Rachel had spied on the early morning meeting in Coach Sylvester's office. Later, after Coach Sylvester had fled, she picked up the feed from the camera she installed in the computer lab.

"But poor Kirby. I can't leave Kirby with Jacob Rachel. He does stuff to her, horrible stuff. Tell him Rachel. Tell him I want my Kirby back."

Sigh.

"Okay Britt. How about if I insist he return all the stolen items? That way he won't suspect you of being involved with all of this.

Brittany nodded uncertainly, but then she smiled and kissed Rachel on the cheek.

"That's a good idea Rachel. We can rescue everyone's stuff and put it in the dishwasher for disinfection. After that we'll make a big fire and burn it all... except for Kirby. Kirby is going to need therapy. I'll tell Lord Tubbington to clear some time in his appointment book."

Rachel could never really get a grasp on what would come out of Brittany's mouth. Some days Brittany seemed like the wisest soul on the planet and other times, just, well...but it didn't really matter did it? Brittany was undoubtably, the sweetest, gentlest, kindest soul that Rachel had ever known. If she wanted Kirby back Rachel was going to make that happen for her. She bent over her keyboard and typed a P.S. to Jacob Ben Israel.

**P.S. Jewfro.**

**Your bag of goodies. ****Your** _**'collection'**_**of stolen goods will be returned to their rightful owners.** **Make sure to deliver it to Coach Sylvester tomorrow morning. She will pass it on to Quinn Fabray, who has reluctantly agreed to become my assistant. **

And with that task finished Rachel began to shut her program down but decided to wait for an additional moment or two. Coach Sylvester had finally located the hidden camera in the computer lab, which was attached to an overhead sprinkler. Sue had started searching the room the moment she read the Pranksters greeting of Hello.

The Coach climbed upon a chair to place herself directly in front of the cameras view. She started making odd gestures with her hands; pointing to her eyes with her index and middle finger and then back at the camera - back and forth, again and again.

"I think that means _'eye see you'._" Brittany explained. "She always does that from the sidelines when someone is goofing up the routine during a game. It's leftover secret hand talk from the military. Everyone gets creeped out when she starts her secret hand signals. She also does one with her finger cutting across her neck. Yeah... like what she's doing right now. I think that one means she wants to slice up your throat. Oh, and the funniest one is the...that one right there. With her fist...Uh huh. That one means she going to shove something up your..-"

"I get it Britt." Rachel started to giggle. As far as she could tell there was nothing secret about any of those gestures.

Brittany was giggling too. Together she and Rachel erupted into all out laughter as Coach Sylvester continued to mime the many ways by which she would maim and, eventually, decapitate the practical joker. Finally, she reached out a claw like hand and grabbed the camera, giving it a powerful yank... fade to black.

"I guess another camera bites the dust." Rachel sighed. It didn't matter, she would steal it back on their next Op. Sue Sylvester turned out to be rather predictable. She had placed the confiscated cameras from the Halloween Op in the bottom drawer of her filing cabinet. Rachel stole one of them back to use in this current Operation. She doubted that Sue had even noticed it was missing.

"Lets go Britt, we're already really late for first hour."

"That was really fun Rach. Thanks for telling Jewfro to give the stuff back. I've been really worried about Kirby." She grabbed the tiny diva squeezing her tight before planting a gentle kiss upon her forehead. " I love you Rach." She smiled at her brilliant friend, bobbed her head for emphasis and opened the office (janitor's closet) door.

"I love you too Britt." Rachel echoed as they sauntered down the hall in different directions.

**Rachel, Quinn, Hiram, Leroy, and Judy. **

The three adults were animated, talking very loud and completely ignoring the objects of their current discussion.

Up until this particular moment, the evening had been very pleasant. Judy and Quinn had outdone themselves with dinner. Tofu and vegetable stir fry, spring rolls, jasmine rice and green tea. Dessert was vegan strawberry sorbet with vanilla wafer crisps. Everything was prepared with Rachel's diet in mind and was delicious.

Quinn's hand was clenching Rachel's thigh beneath the dining room table. Rachel grabbed it, lacing their fingers together while silently mouthing the words, "I love you" to her girlfriend, who was visibly shaken by the conversation the adults were having.

"They're too young to be having sex!" Leroy, Rachel's Dad, declared again while shooting his husband a venomous look. "Why didn't you tell me Hiram?"

"I would have appreciated having this information as well Hiram, not that I am criticizing your parenting skills. I've obviously failed my daughter miserably in the past...but... I'm trying to make up for that now." Judy ran an impatient hand through her blonde hair and cleared her throat before continuing her line of thought.

"This is really new territory for me. If Rachel was a boy, I would be kicking you all of my home with what she shared so openly during dessert. "

UGH!

_Fifteen minutes earlier._

_"Now that the relationship between the girls has been acknowledged in both of our homes I think it would be a good idea to set some ground rules for them regarding what is to be allowed in terms of intimacy." Leroy Berry declared to the table as a whole. _

_Dessert was the best time to tackle uncomfortable topics. Who could get upset while eating something sweet? The little man had always enjoyed dessert conversations the most. He and Rachel were quite the team when ganging up on Hiram over dessert._

_Judy was bobbing her head in agreement with Rachel's Dad but her Daddy, Hiram, seemed mesmerized by his Sorbet. _

_"Hiram?" Leroy nudged his husband with a gentle tap upon his hand while at the same time kicking him soundly from beneath the table._

_"Owww...Leroy, what was that for?"_

_"You were not paying attention. I think we should establish some rules for Quinn and Rachel when they are visiting each other. Especially when they disappear into their bedrooms. I believe the door should remain open while they are alone together._

_"Why?" Rachel asked this question with a knitted brow. The scowl upon her face displaying her displeasure._

_"I think the answer to that question is quite obvious Rachel. We don't want you two to get carried away with your affections." _

_Rachel scoffed. "We've already made love Dad. I think it's a little late to make an open door policy."_

_"Gurgle...gasp...choke...ack...erg...WHAT?"_

_"I said, we've already explored one another sexually. Quinn and I have Made Love. Had Sex. We have come to KNOW one another in the Biblical sense." Rachel clarified for her sputtering father. _

_"Rachel!" Quinn hissed at her girlfriends overshare._

_"I don't see what the big deal is Quinn? It's not like I'm going to get you pregnant. We're in love with one another... making love is a natural progression for people who are in love... right Daddy?" _

_Rachel appealed to her other father for support. She had assumed that her Daddy had already had this conversation with her Dad, but apparently she was mistaken. Oh, oh. This might not turn out so well._

_"Hiram! You knew about this and didn't tell me?"_

_Groan._

And now, the adults were in full debate mode. Harumph! Well, Rachel concluded, whatever her parents decided - she was not going to stop loving her girlfriend. They would sneak if they had to, but she and Quinn were together and nothing they said could keep them apart.

"May we be excused?" Rachel asked the adults politely, turning on her megawatt smile in the hopes of disarming and charming them at the same time.

"Where will you be going?" Leroy asked suspiciously, knowing his daughter through and through. He wasn't taken in by her display of good manners, nor the beguiling smile. She had learned that from _him, _after all.

"Quinn and I would like to go for a walk. It seems as though the three of you will be plotting our future abstinence. I'm not particularly interested in this part of your conversation."

_"Rachel!" _Quinn hissed again.

"Fine. Make sure to wear your scarf and mitts...and your beanie!" Leroy snapped at his incorrigible child but smiled and nodded at Quinn with approval.

As much as he wanted to be furious with Quinn, for deflowering his baby girl, he really couldn't find the rage he sought. He liked Quinn. She obviously adored Rachel. Quinn took Rachel's temperament in stride. She actually seemed to enjoy his daughters quirks and high strung diva tantrums.

Quinn had to work extra hard to gain the approval of Hiram and himself after the years of abuse she had perpetrated upon their daughter. However, Rachel hadn't been completely innocent either. Targeting Quinn's boyfriends and divulging private secrets. The girls past was complicated, but somehow, they managed to move through their painful, hurtful history. Quinn completely owned her behavior and took full responsibility for her past actions. She had apologized to Hiram, himself and most importantly to Rachel.

His very talented, precocious, highly energized, sometimes insufferable, but mostly endearing, precious baby...erm? Rachel wasn't really a baby anymore was she? She would always be his _baby girl _but maybe it was time to realize that she was growing up. She would turn seventeen soon and as much as it distressed Leroy to think about - he knew Rachel was preparing herself for a future away from her Daddy's. And, after eavesdropping on several of their conversations, Leroy realized how very much Quinn was factored in to his baby's future.

Well, it would depend upon what Judy was thinking, but he wasn't going to go overboard in his effort to "twat swat" (shudder) the girls. Rachel didn't need to know this, however. He grinned devilishly at the thought of her frustration. His baby girl was utterly adorable when she didn't get her way immediately.

"Snort!, giggle."

Leroy looked up to see that Judy and Hiram were staring at him oddly. Oh, had he expressed that amusement out loud?

"You do realize just how much our daughter takes after you don't you?" Hiram quirked an eyebrow at his husband before breaking into a wide grin.

"Harumph!"

**Rachel and Quinn**

They walked through the quiet night holding hands, their pink and purple mitts snugged together in a way that made Rachel feel wholly satisfied. She hesitated under a street lamp to allow the simple moment to sink in. The snowfall was thick and rich. Fat, well formed flakes were slowly drifting, floating, defying gravity - dancing a whimsical pattern. Rachel gazed up through the light to watch their silent descent. She could almost see each delicate, intricate pattern - knowing none was exactly like the other.

This moment felt like magic. Tilting her head just so, enabled her to peer into the rich depths of hazel green that felt so much like home. Home, in the way of joyful laughter and hot tomato soup on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Home, in the way of safe havens - a place to keep the world at bay. Home, in the way you would always be welcome - a place to be loved and cherished forever.

Silence...

Except for the muffled whispers of snowflakes landing softly, each sighing deeply as they reached their final destination; together they melded into a pure, white, powdery blanket. It encircled Rachel and Quinn, wrapping them tightly in a dazzling enchantment.

Soft warm lips, exceedingly warm in contrast to the evenings Wintry chill, were pressed against her brow in reverent benediction. I Love You.

I love you...those warm, warm lips were pressed against her cheek now. I love you...light, butterfly impressions danced along the line of her jaw... I love you... that heavenly softness, heavenly hotness...I love you... surely steam was pouring off her neck ... those hot, hot lips were whispering in her ear.

"I love you."

Strong, slender arms were pulling her close and tucking her in.

Yes, this felt like home.

"I love you too."

Silence...

Except for the muffled gasping breath and wild beating hearts.

"My Dad is in for the challenge of his life!"

Laughter...

**To Be Continued.**

_Hope you stick around to see what happens. :) Thanks so much for your continued support with reviews and alerts._


	19. Revelations

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This story is billed as Humor and Romance, however the next few chapters will be a bit more serious and drama filled, even dark in places. All needed to move the plot along. I have every intention of pulling it back into the light and fun and romance._

_This chapter sets up the scary... _

**Chapter XIX. "Revelations."**

**Rachel, Quinn and the Gleeks.**

"Get lost, I'm going to teach Berry a lesson." Quinn Fabray asserted her authority as Head Cheerio and pointed a shaking angry finger at the door. The three freshmen girls who had been primping in front of the mirror squeaked in unison before making themselves scarce.

"Quinn! You're supposed to be _nice_ to me remember? Those girls are going to run off and start a rumor that Quinn Fabray is torturing Rachel Berry in the girls bathroom. The Color Coder of Cheerios will not be pleased. After all the work we've done this week to make it seem like you were adjusting to your new attit-" Rachel's rant was swiftly cut off by her girlfriends mouth. Quinn pushed her into the last stall on the left and proceeded to teach her girlfriend a _"lesson."_

"Ummmmm."

After making out in the girls restroom for an undetermined period of time, all in an effort to be late for Glee, the two girls wandered down the hallway hand in hand, lazily making their way toward the choir room. Quinn was very relieved that Rachel agreed with her request, even though she was a bit nervous with what they were about to do.

She would finally be able to make it clear to Finn Hudson that Rachel was no longer available. _Mine!_

Not that Rachel had taken any of Finn's advances seriously. She had very clearly turned him down on multiple occasions - it just pissed Quinn off that he wouldn't take no for an answer. The boy was tremendously self centered and incredibly obtuse. This whole time he was supposedly dating Stephanie Hanson but kept insisting that Rachel must still be in love with him. He was so cocksure she would be begging him to take her back at any moment. It infuriated Quinn that Finn still assumed he had a claim on Rachel.

"Are you absolutely certain about this Quinn? There is no going back once we walk through that door. You just came out to your mother and I am so proud of you but once we start this process in school word will eventually get back to your father..."

Quinn was smiling fondly at Rachel while swinging their clasped hands back and forth. The two of them were just outside the choir room door getting ready to make a grand entrance.

"Rach, stop talking please. No more stalling. If you keep this up I'm going to start thinking you _are _embarrassed to be my girlfriend. Besides, we're just telling the Glee Club today, not the whole school. "

"Quinn!, I am not embarrassed. (stomp) I... just... I don't ever want you to feel pressured. I don't have the same concerns that you do so this transition will be, in some ways, easier for me becau-"

Quinn reached out and placed her finger gently over Rachel's mouth. "Shsssh." She leaned in and kissed her softly to stifle any further protests. She stepped back but not before twirling a strand of silky dark hair between her fingers and giving it a gentle, playful tug.

"Enough... lets get this show on the road...okay?"

She was met with a deep brown gaze that was so adoring, so filled with love and tenderness that Quinn forgot to breathe - her heart fluttered rapidly and all she could do was stare; hypnotized by those sparkling eyes and the full pouty lips she could not get enough of.

"Okay." Rachel whispered softly while blinking those long thick lashes, her nod of agreement was subtle but emphasized with a disarmingly beautiful smile.

Sigh.

For the first time ever Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry entered the choir room at the same time. The grins upon their faces and the grip they had upon each others hands created a vacuum of silence within the room that had previously been filled with bubbling chatter.

The eerie quiet lasted for nearly a minute, everyone gaping at the couple, waiting for the inevitable punch line that would never come.

"Why are Quinn and Rachel holding hands? Finn asked the room as a whole, his beady eyes were trying not to focus on what was right in front of him. The way they were smiling at one another, how closely they were standing, the clasped hands swinging playfully - joyfully.

"Oh great. Hi girls I'm glad you're finally here, we have a lot of work to do before we're ready..." Mr. Schuester's voice tapered off as he finally realized that something significant was happening with his students. Rachel and Quinn were standing in the center of the choir room holding hands, which he thought was kind of odd. Those two were barely capable of having a civil conversation much less touch one another. Any touching his mind had previously conjured was along the lines of pulling hair and gouging eyes out - not holding hands and smiling like dopey lovestruck...oh...OH...

Not being able to resist herself, Quinn opted for making this presentation unavoidably clear. She tugged Rachel's hand, pulling her close before leaning in and kissing her startled girlfriend with a purpose. Rachel's eyes had widened in shock at Quinn's brash move but it only took one swipe of the blondes tongue across her bottom lip to surrender happily to her girlfriends demonstration.

"Wow!" "Whoa!" "Yeah Baby." "Interesting." "Hell to the No." "I knew it!" "Ay Dios Mio," "Yay!" Smile, Grin. "Huh?"

"Oh God", Will muttered to himself. He was soooo sick of the drama this group of kids brought into every single practice.

Rachel's face was tinted Red as Quinn stepped back with a smug grin, very pleased with her ability to render her girlfriend speechless.

Shaking her head to clear the cloudy steamy haze that Quinn had left her in, that Quinn had kept her in for the better part of the last half hour; Rachel cleared her throat to prepare herself for her long winded announcement.

"Quinn and I are dating. We felt it was time to come forward with our relationship within the confines of the Glee Club. We hope that all of you will be happy for us but also, for now, keep this information amongst yourselves. It has been rather stressful to continue the facade of hostility toward one another during the school day but especially difficult to do so in Glee. Eventually, we will come out to the whole school but decided to approach this proce-"

"But you aren't gay Rachel...and... and Quinn hates you. And Quinn had a baby and you were both my girlfriends... is this a joke?" Finn blurted out his list of concerns, rudely interrupting Rachel's prepared speech.

Sigh.

"Finn," Rachel quietly tried to stem his stream of questions but he wasn't nearly finished objecting.

"Is this why you turned me down? Both of you? You both turned me down because you were dating each other behind my back!"

Quinn bristled at his statement. Striding over to the indignant quarterback, planting her fists upon her hips she locked him in her hazel gaze. The Medusa glare. The HBIC stare.

Muffled whispers could be heard echoing about the room. "Scary Quinn."

"First off Finn, Rachel and I were both single when we started to date; therefore nothing was done behind your back. And secondly, we both found it incredibly distasteful that you asked us each to be your girlfriend on the same day. As though it didn't matter who you were asking out so long as you had someone dangling from your arm. I imagine after getting rejected by the both of us you made a bee line for Stephanie Hanson didn't you? You asked three girls on the same day to be your girlfriend!"

"Whoa dude! That's harsh man. Does Hanson know she was sloppy thirds?" Puck chimed in not being able to resist winding Finn up. Especially after what Quinn had said. At least the Puckasaurus was up front with his intentions when he asked a girl to hook up.

"Alright guys, I think we're getting a little off topic now. I think it's important that we all acknowledge Rachel and Quinn's initial request. I am so relieved that the two of you have put your differences behind you. And... well... it is a little surprising that you are romantically involved but I'm really happy for you and wish you the best."

Rachel was stunned by Mr. Schue's sincere and very appropriate statement of support. He rarely gave credence to anything that Rachel had said or done. She expected him to get disgruntled on Finn's behalf and immediately take the sniveling boys side - he always had in the past. However, she was very pleased by his statement. He neatly turned the conversation away from Finn and returned it to its original focus.

She and Quinn.

A moment later the couple was surrounded by the smiling faces of their friends and subjected to the playful banter and teasing that was thoroughly expected. Kurt was probably the happiest of them all.

He squealed excitedly after declaring "I knew it!" to the room and was the first of them to leap off the risers to congratulate the new couple. Mercedes was right behind him and couldn't be happier for her two friends. Quinn had been so lonely and sad and angry before. To see her smile and laugh and happy was just so freaken fantastic. Some of the Gleeks were shocked (Artie) but not really surprised by the revelation and each of them made it clear that they had Quinn and Rachel's backs.

As a group, they had not spoken about their performance in the gym during Sue Sylvester's interrogation.

Rachel knew they all knew. And...they knew that Rachel knew they knew.

A collective consciousness of understanding had bound them all together that afternoon. To speak it out loud would be it's undoing. So, each of them had come to a silent agreement within themselves and for the team as a whole. The understanding that one of the Gleeks was the Master of Pranks, yet all of them were the PrankMaster. If asked, each and every one of them would claim the title.

Except for Finn.

**Sue Sylvester's List.**

1) The Cheerio's get Color Coded: Her stars: Quinn, Santana & Brittany (all three are also _Gleeks_) get sprayed with primary colors. All the other girls on the squad were tinted with secondary, and tertiary colors completing a vibrant human Rainbow. _Rachel Berry_ inspires a cacophony of cackling in the corridors before proceeding to advise a vinegar rinse.

2) The football team gets Skunked: Two of them are Gleeks - Finn Hudson, Noah Puckerman._ Rachel Berry_ sells nose plugs to the tune $1100.00 in profit for the _Glee Club_.

3)The Staff gets Slushied: I get _framed_ for the dastardly deed and later humiliated at the School Board meeting. My personal stationary was stolen and my Pen was molested. _Hiram Berry_ makes an impassioned speech.

4) Bad Poetry on two consecutive days. The Bard of Bad Poetry makes a special point to single out the Lima Losers and award them little trinkets as well as quaint, horribly crafted verse. The Bard of Bad Poetry threatens the bullies with rotten rhymes and worse atroscities if they don't stop being mean.

5) Halloween - The PrankMaster kidnaps five students at the dance: David Karofsky, Stephanie Hanson, Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez and Finn Hudson. (Three of them are _Gleeks_) After gunning them down with drugged darts, and restraining them in wheelchairs - the PrankMaster blackmails these five students with a documentary film exposing their abuse and assault against the following students: Kurt Hummel, Cindy Bingham, Giles Deroche and _Rachel Berry _(Two of them are _Gleeks_).

6) The Happening in the Gym: _Rachel Berry_ and the _Gleeks_ disrupt her interrogation with bogus confessions and corrupt her favorite Queen Song with offensive lyrics. _Rachel Berry_ makes a spectacle ME.

7) Azimo Adams gets Bugged into near insanity. The boy was on a mission to Slushie _Rachel Berry_ when he suddenly lost his mind. _Rachel Berry_ delivered him from CRAZY with an inspired speech concerning the clustering habits of Winter bees.

8) Jewfro's Blog gets highjacked: William Schuester and Me are the featured stars in a homage to the genre of scintillating workplace sexcapades. The Cheerio's are mocked and _Rachel Berry_ is offered cash money for her dirty underwear! Later, Jewfro is blackmailed with the exposure of his vile perversions. The Heartless Hacker taunts both Jewfro and ME in a real time chat, lauding his technical superiority as well as his ABSOLUTE POWER.

Sue digs in her desk and pulls out a bright pink highlighter. As she rereads the list she starts to highlight glaring repetitions.

_Rachel Berry, Gleeks, Rachel Berry, Gleeks, Rachel Berry,Gleeks, Hiram Berry, Rachel Berry,Gleeks, Rachel Berry, Rachel Berry, Rachel Berry. Gleeks, Gleeks and more Gleeks!_

The only event that Rachel Berry is not thrown into the mix is the Bad Poetry. In every other instance Rachel Berry and those geeky Gleeks are swirling around the center of the vortex.

Hmmm? Is it really that easy? Rachel Berry? Is it possible? That little musical munchkin has moxie that much Sue concedes. She even talked the Coach into signing one of her petitions to ban the Slushie machine in the cafeteria. It didn't really matter because Sue had crossed her fingers behind her back while she was signing to jinx the whole deal.

The Cheerio coach had, on multiple occasions (even during their summer break) battled with the midget over appointments to meet with Figgins. When Rachel Berry wasn't pouring her little heart into sappy songs she was threatening law suits, pushing PETA pamphlets, hugging trees, and organizing do goody events for the no goods of the school.

The girl is a meticulous organizer. She saw the log book on the sales of the noseplugs and was impressed by the detailed records. The little diva even went so far as to color code her sales by gender, grade level, as well as students, staff, and ... she _color coded_ the sales?

Sue didn't want to believe what seemed to be so obviously right in front of her nose this whole time. How had she been so blind? The girl was hiding in plain sight knowing she would never be discovered. So confident in fact, because the entire population of the school underestimated her amazing talents and innate brilliance - as they always had.

People are petty and small minded - they never really want to see the brightness of a star up close. It's too intimidating, too magnificent to comprehend and oh so humbling. The stars in the evening sky are glorious to gaze upon but only because they are so far away. With that final thought, that simple metaphor for a little slip of a girl who was bigger than the midnight sky and brighter than the morning sun; Sue Sylvester accepted the simple truth.

Rachel Berry is the PrankMistress. The Goddess of Gags, The Tricky Trickster, The Skunker, The Color Coder of Cheerios, The Heartless Hacker, The Bard of Bad Poetry and _THE STEALER OF PENS! _

The last item on that list is what really put a burr up Sue's ass. She could admire everything else that penny loafer wearing, pint sized, sneaky gleek had done_. _But laying hands upon her Dunhill Fountain Pen had crossed the line. Her sister Jean had given her that pen! The pen hadn't actually been stolen though, had it? _The Stealer of Pens_ had really only borrowed it to write those notes - it was still in the top drawer of her desk. There was even an extra box of replacement ink cartridges. A very polite post it note had been stuck upon the box. It read: " Please accept this as my thanks for the use of such an exquisite pen!"

How had it taken her this long to see what was right before her eyes? No student in this school would use the word _exquisite..._except for Rachel Berry.

"Well I'll be damned..." Sue mumbled absently. The words were spoken softly almost like a whispered hush and filled with awe. For years Sue had yearned to meet a kindred spirit. Someone who could comprehend what it was to be truly motivated and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Someone who understood the meaning of dedication and follow through; to fight the bitter battle at all costs - sacrifice the easy road for the one not taken. Someone who didn't care about the opinions of peers. Someone who was willing to push to the very edge and jump off the cliff if necessary - even if that meant you were a little CRAZY on occasion.

The Singing Streisand Smurf _was_ The Mastermind of Mayhem and Sue was, aside from being in shock and for lack of a better word, ASTOUNDED - she was also oddly pleased. Her world made sense again.

Now, all she had to do was continue her quest to capture the preeminent Master of Pranks. She would intensify the pressure, make it clear her search was narrowing down. But Sue could _Act_ with the best of them - she would pretend a frustrated ignorance; all the while clearing a path so the Little Lilliputian could continue her game to its end. This was fun. Sue could hardly wait to see what other tricks the Maestro of Madness had up her magical sleeve.

**Stephanie Hanson**

Stephanie sneered as Brittany Pierce scrunched down low to the ground enabling Rachel Berry to climb upon her for a piggy back ride. Brittany ran across the parking lot with Berry clinging like a monkey and giggling like a four year old. She shook her head in disbelief as the idiot Cheerleader deposited the little diva in front of her car. Did Pierce just hug the freak? She did! She hugged her and kissed her on the cheek before wandering across the lot to where Q. and S. were waiting by their car.

WTF is going down at this school? All day long she had to suffer seeing the Unholy Trinity shadow the dwarf. She knew that Quinn and Santana were given instructions to look after their former favorite plaything. What was bothering Stephanie was how easily they adjusted to that role. From tormentors to protectors overnight? Brittany had always been a softy but that gushy, huggy, playful fondness was _way_ gross. Lopez should be having a coronary that Brittany was even touching the Smurf! Instead, she was smiling at their childish antics. Something was not right with this picture.

Well, if that two faced bitch Fabray and her sidekick Satan Lopez were going to let Berry slide off their leash, Stephanie would gladly snatch her up. That stupid prankster seemed to have cameras all over the school, watching her every move, but he couldn't follow her everywhere now could he? Stephanie lived just two blocks away from the Berry freakshow. The whole neighborhood knew where the Gay Dads and their _oh so talented_ daughter resided. She would pay the little loser a visit when her fathers weren't home. Or, maybe follow her home from school on a day they didn't have Cheerio practice. Or, better yet, offer her a ride. Yes, she would give ManHands a ride home. RuPaul's car would have a flat tire in the parking lot and Stephanie would just happen along when she discovered the inconvenience.

She would bide her time being a good girl at school so everyone would think she really had changed her stripes. That fucking maniac who had kidnapped her could go to sleep at night and pat himself on the back for turning the bad kids into good. Snort!

Stephanie smiled inwardly at the thought, deciding it would be even better to have her _fun_ away from the school grounds - where no one could see what she was up to, nor intervene. Yes, she'd dreamed of this for quite some time but never had the _need_ to push things before - until that Skunker interfered.

_Attention Stephanie Hanson._

_Your instructions are thus: You will not stray within fifty feet of Cindy Bingham nor Giles Deroche. You will not speak to them, you will not follow them, you will not encourage your groupies to continue the harassment or abuse which you have instigated. This is, in effect, a restraining order._

_Your focus at school will remain on your classes and your Cheerleading activities. You will not choose to transfer your aggressions on alternative subjects. In other words - you will not resort to bullying other victims."_

_I trust you understand the terms of our agreement. To make it clear, however, if you fail to follow these instructions the film will be in distribution upon the moment of your first offense._

_Your subsequent expulsion from school, arrest and future notoriety as a sadistic teenage bitch will be your own doing. _

_Mark my words,_

_The PrankMaster._

She reflected upon those instructions which succeeded in making her see spots and white light. Spots that blinded her with a rage that had no boundaries. The white light was like a balm that tempered her fury, enabling her to contain and shape it into something she could use. This happened every time she got really upset or angry about something. She would experience unbearable pressure building up inside her head, almost like her brain was catching fire - the spots would flash before her eyes and she lost her ability to think or reason for a short period of time - until she saw the light.

She learned to cope by fantasizing about the stuff she could do to the people who upset her and made her angry. Eventually she chose surrogate targets. Replacements for the people she really wanted to kill. Of course she couldn't kill her father, not until he paid for her college anyway. After she earned a degree she would revisit that issue. Her sister and brother were another source of bitterness. They were both so boring and lazy and useless. She wished her mother would have just closed her legs and told her father no. No more kids. Wasn't Stephanie enough for them? She had been an only child until the age of six and then her mother had Jessica and Jason. Twins. The twins got all of the attention and she got baby sitting duties. _I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. _

Cindy and Giles were the perfect surrogates, helping her fulfill her fantasies. She could torture them daily at school and no one seemed to notice or care. She worked her anger out at school so she could control herself when she got home. She wasn't stupid. She understood what would happen if she started abusing her real siblings. Her mother wouldn't approve. Stephanie adored her mother above all else, or she thought she did. She was aware it wasn't a normal feeling but she _needed_ her mommy desperately. The very thought of losing her mothers approval caused her to hyperventilate which lead to terrifying panic attacks occasionally. It was a frightening, choking, smothering sensation that literally disabled her. But she had come up with a solution - how to deal with her overwhelming and sometimes uncontrollable emotions. She had it under control until that stupid Color Coder of Cheerios had interfered.

The Tricky Trickster is in for a big surprise. He _will_ regret his arrogance when he finds out what happens to Rachel Berry. It will be all his fault. Throwing slushies and calling nasty names will seem like childs play once the little singer disappears. Yes. She could do this. She had always wanted to take her games a little further but nothing had ever forced her hand before. Stephanie had always feared to push things too far at school because eventually someone would call her mother. She chose the Cheerios as an extracurricular activity because Sue Sylvester ran the school and no one dared to challenge the Cheerios.

Stephanie would get what she wanted - if she was patient and careful and charming. And what she wanted was Rachel Berry. She would wait another week while everyone got used to the idea that she was sincerely making an effort to be a better person. She would follow the _instructions _of the Skunker and bide her time by being sweet and kind.

Everything must be carefully planned. She would need to find a secret place to make this happen. There was that old warehouse district just outside of town which was abandoned and declared condemned. The firemen had encircled the perimeter with Red 'Danger' tape, warning people to stay away.

Perfect.

Fabray will be done for. Everyone will blame Quinn. Yes, that would be classic. Everyone will think it was Quinn. Quinn Fabray, the HBIC who has been stalking and harrassing Rachel Berry for years. Oh My God this was perfect. Stephanie rubbed her hands together pretending to warm them as she watched the Unholy Trinity pull away in their car.

**To Be Continued.**

_I did foreshadow how potentially bad Stephanie could become so I hope you all aren't too surprised by this twist. Hope you stick around to see what happens._

_Thanks so much to those of you who have taken the time to review. :)_


	20. Plots Thicken

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Hi everyone. This chapter is a bit longer. I hope it makes up for the delay in updating. It's also part of the set-up for the impending drama, which will happen in the next chapter. One of the reviews said this story started out so simple and goofy and ended up being so complex. Ugh. I totally agree. At any rate, I hope it continues to entertain. Thanks so much to all of you who continue to read, review, and alert this story. I'll try my best to update faster._

**Chapter XX. "Plots Thicken"**

**Tuesday**

**Rachel, Quinn, Santana, Brittany and Puck.**

"I don't understand why you're so upset Quinn? I was only being polite. I don't know how to tell people to _'get lost'_ or, _'take a hike'_, or _'bite me'. _Those are phrases that you and Santana have mastered with the proper tone and inflection, as well as sufficient practice. I, however, have never said such things to anyone."

"Grrrrrrrrrrr." Quinn let out a low frustrated growl. "Stephanie Hanson is Hells very own Evil Spawn Rachel. You've seen it yourself a hundred times in real life, as well as on your film. She is up to something and I don't want her talking to you when Santana and I aren't there to run her off."

Quinn was pacing around the workshop working herself into a fury at Rachel's stubborn denial. Fuck, can't she see what's right in front of her face?

"Q's right Berry. Hanson is so fucked in the head she ought to be locked up. I don't even get how Coach hasn't kicked her off the team yet. You know she's _bad_ Rachel, if even I'm a little afraid of her. And I don't mean afraid, as in scared, I mean afraid as in _completely freaked_ _out_ by her... that bitch wouldn't hesitate to hack someone up with a meat cleaver. She's insane Rachel, everybody who's had to spend more than five minutes with her knows this."

Rachel glared at the pair of Cheerio's who were indignantly huffing and puffing and pacing around her workshop. They could hardly be serious? Three months ago, in Rachel's mind, Quinn and Santana were bundled together in the exact same category that they were applying to Stephanie. "Evil Bitches." Rachel even had such a file in her cupboard. She had, of course, removed Quinn and Santana's names from that file but, still, why was this so very different? Because it was _Stephanie_ who wanted to be her friend?

"Alright, I get that you are concerned but I still don't have it in me to be rude to someone when they have gone out of their way to be kind to me. Stephanie has been very nice and I thought she was sincerely interested in listening to what I have to say. I'm not used to people making overtures of friendship to me. Forgive me if I feel a little flattered that someone, other than you three, enjoys my company."

"Ay, Dios, Mio! Terca como una mula! Britt?"

Brittany was sitting quietly at Rachel's work table listening to her friends argue. She could understand Rachel in a way that Quinn and Santana never would. Rachel was different than most people because it was in her nature to love everyone. Even bad people when they were being mean to her. That was why Rachel was so capable of forgiveness - she trusted and truly believed that people could change and become better and kind and good. But Rachel didn't know that Stephanie was broken and could never get fixed. Brittany didn't even qualify the scary Cheerio as a human being, but saw her as something unwholesomely dark. Her thoughts defining the scary girl were labeled along the lines of "It."

Brittany slipped off her stool, gliding around the table to where Rachel was sitting. She placed both of her hands on Rachel's shoulders, squeezing gently to get the tiny diva's attention.

"Rachel... do you trust me?"

Two big brown eyes widened in surprise at the question Brittany posed. Brittany whom she loved like a sister and cherished every bit as much as Quinn. In a different way, of course, but the feelings were equally intense and real.

"Of course I do Britt. "

Brittany nodded her head sadly but smiled warmly at Rachel, she bent over and kissed her gently on the forehead before asking her next question.

"Will you do something for me?" Big blue eyes, clear and kind and innocent, filled to their brim with unshed tears.

"Anything Britt. Ah...aa.. anything you want." Rachel stuttered, she was stunned by Brittany's sudden show of emotion.

"Will you _promise?_" Brittany knew that word was magic. If Rachel made a promise she would never break it. Rachel's word was as good as a gold star because she never lied. Never, ever, would Rachel lie to her.

"Yes Brittany, I will promise... whatever you want." The room had gone quiet and still. Quinn and Santana knew Brittany's game because she had played them both the same way - many, many times over the years. It was impossible to resist those tearful blue eyes and the quiet way in which the blonde girl seemed to dominate your mind when she got so close and intense.

"Promise me you won't let Stephanie talk to you Rachel. She's a very bad person and all she wants to do is hurt you. I don't want you to be hurt Rachel because I love you so very much. San loves you too, even though she won't say those words she'll show you in lots of different ways...and Quinn loves you more than than me and San together. Rachel if you trust me... trust me when I say that Stephanie is _evil. _ And promise me Rach. Promise me you'll stay away from her."

Sigh.

"Okay."

"You have to say the words Rachel."

Brittany was relentless. This was so unfair, Rachel huffed to herself. Her Play was working if some of the bullies were learning how to act like decent people, wasn't it? David Karofsky had even turned a new leaf. He wasn't exactly being nice to people but he was making sure that no one bothered Kurt. He had also apologized to Kurt. Of course he did that because he was required to do so. The instructions were very specific.

She had opted out of allowing Stephanie to apologize to Cindy or Giles because they were so completely terrified by the Sophomore Cheerleader. Allowing Stephanie to approach them would be additionally traumatizing. Ultimately, Stephanie got the restraining order while David was given a chance at atonement with Kurt.

Rachel couldn't explain that _gut feeling_ decision, even to herself, but somehow she knew that it was true. What Quinn, Santana and Britt were saying. Stephanie was really insane. Like _evil_ insane and she was not equipped to deal with someone like that.

"I promise to stay away from Stephanie." Rachel finally whispered, broken by the tear streaked face hovering before her.

"Yay!" Brittany cheered and pulled Rachel off the stool into a giant hug. Suddenly, Brittany was bubbly and happy and carefree again. She winked at Quinn and Santana over Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel took them all in, noticing their varied but overall pleased expressions and decided she had been played in the most undermining, manipulative way. Who could turn their back on Brittany's tears? Scowling fiercely at them she decided to change the subject.

"Now that it has been clearly established that Brittany has me in her pocket can we talk about the hockey game?" Rachel asked the Tribe of Sogima. Those three were a very intimidating unit when they focused upon a goal. No wonder Sue Sylvester allowed them to rule the school!

Santana decided to take her seat next to Brittany, once the midge...aaa... Berry decided to show some common sense. She stroked the back of Brittany's hand and smiled at her girlfriend approvingly. Quinn joined them all at the table but was still a little angry and upset by what she had witnessed earlier that day. She pulled her stool to the end of the table creating a wide gap between herself and Rachel. Rachel noticed the slight and stuck out her bottom lip.

_Gah! That is so cheating. _

"Why exactly, are you so gung ho about the glee club playing hockey Rachel?"

Santana was very curious about this new development. Rachel was such a drama whore. The feisty Latina knew it must have something to do with the next Scene in the Play but Berry never let them know what was coming next until it was time to prepare for the Op. She loved to drag out the suspense and then dazzle them with her cleverness. (Big Eye Roll)

"I saw you roll your eyes Ms. Lopez!" (stomp)

Somehow, even seated on a stool, Rachel managed a stomp. That, combined with the pouty lip was enough to make Quinn falter in her resolve to be upset. Adorable is hard to resist. She slowly rose off of her stool and casually strolled over to where Rachel was seated. They had been uncomfortably distant for the last three hours and that was just too much for Quinn. Wrapping her arms around the tiny waist and resting her chin upon that soft shoulder she tickled her girlfriends earlobe with the tip of her tongue.

"Ew, gross Q. I don't want to see your tongue sucking antics. We're having a meeting for fucks sake!"

Brittany and Rachel burst into giggles simultaneously, while Quinn simply stuck out her tongue at Santana before gently cupping Rachel's chin, tilting her head just so and planting a big, sloppy, open mouth (with lots of tongue), kiss on her girlfriend. She moaned loudly for Santana's benefit.

Brittany clapped at the sight. Quinn and Rachel were usually very low key with PDA, but Santana always protested any tiny, minute display between the happy couple for the simple sport of teasing them. The bickering dynamic was a part of the friendship the four shared and they thoroughly enjoyed the silly sniping.

Puck waltzed through the door in the middle of Quinn's display. His eyes were wide and wild but he didn't say anything to interrupt the kiss. He did, however, stumble while trying to find a stool to sit on, which succeeded in breaking the girls apart. All four girls turned to glare at the boy. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'what? no big deal, I'm cool,' before dragging his stool over to the table to join them.

"Knock much? You're lucky Betty didn't bop you with a dose of black boob."

Puck shrugged again, trying so hard to remain cool and seem unaffected by the _making out_ he just witnessed.

"I stopped by to talk to Peter first. We were watching you get your knickers all twisted over Charles Manson...oops, I mean Stephanie Hanson. I could see that Betty was disengaged. No biggie. So, I just came over when your little dramarama was over. Nice moves Britt." Noah winked at the blonde Cheerio. She smiled and blew him a kiss.

"You were spying on us Noah?"

"Peter tells you Rachel. He tells you again and again and yet you still forget to turn off your cameras. Not his fault. Not my fault. Although I gotta say. I Love, love, _love,_ the _action_ babe." And finally, he leered at the couple and wiggled his eyebrows.

"I was starting to worry that something was wrong with you Puck. Now I can breathe again knowing that the pig which drives your mind is back behind the wheel!"

"Always aiming to please Quinn, the Puckmaster will never disappoint you." He licked his lips and adopted a lecherous grin... and ah... if you two ever want to.."

"Okay then." Rachel interrupted Puck before he could finish what they all knew he was going to say. She narrowed her eyes at the group to get them to focus. It was time to discuss the next Scene in the Play.

"Act II, Scene IV: Ice Capades! This is the only Scene in my play which I have not been able to run test trials. We don't have snow or ice skating in the Summer and I was unable to run the necessary experiments. Also, I have never skated before. I know that Santana, Quinn and Puck are quite adept at ice hockey and Brittany is a very good figure skater. The Lima rink is open early this year so I have proposed a scrimmage hockey game between the glee club members."

"Why would the gleeks wanna play hockey?" Puck was first out of the gate with a question.

"What does mine an Q's hockey skills got to do with the Play?"

"You've never skated? Like never, ever?"

"The Hockey team is next, isn't it Rachel?" Brittany smiled brightly at her diva friend, knowing that this next Scene was going to be a lot of fun.

Rachel nodded in confirmation of Brittany's statement. Brittany was so good at cutting to the core of any matter. The girl was freaking amazing sometimes. She just leapt over all that mental clutter the other three were bogged down in and summed up Rachel's intent. The Hockey team was, indeed, next on her list.

**Wednesday**

**Santana Lopez, Stephanie Hanson**

They were getting dressed after showering when they heard the horsey laugh of Stephanie Hanson enter the locker room. Coach Sylvester had kept her late running suicides because of her attitude or something. Quinn and Santana were a little shocked that Coach Sylvester stepped in to discipline the Sophomore herself. She usually left that up to her Captain and the Second in command.

The mercurial Latina didn't give a flying fuck about any of that because she wanted to lay out some discipline for Hanson herself. Santana didn't want Quinn involved in what she was about to say to Stephanie.

She didn't want Quinn, in a fit of overprotective rage, to reveal her true feelings for Rachel to their troublesome Sophomore teammate. Quinn was so riled up she was ready to light the girls hair on fire. Hanson was one sick, twisted piece of shit and she was up to something foul - Santana could smell it a mile away. She was going to put Hanson in her place before she had a chance to make a move.

They had the shock of their morning, earlier in the week, when they headed toward Rachel's locker and saw her in an animated conversation with the Sophomore Cheerio. Creepy crawly chills shot up Santana's spine at the sight. A split second later she got the only confirmation she needed when Brittany came up behind her and whispered.

"Oh. oh. Don't let Stephanie talk to Rachel San."

All week long they spied the Sophomore Cheerio talking to Rachel when they weren't around to chaperone her. When Quinn and Santana _were_ present they would glimpse the wayward Cheerio standing not too far away, staring at Rachel speculatively. Her efforts were blindingly transparent, yet she was completely unaware that she was telegraphing her intentions.

It was plain and clear that Rachel had become Stephanie's new _focus _now that Cindy Bingham and Giles Deroche were off limits. But what Santana couldn't figure out was why? Or, more importantly, how strangely she was going about the whole thing?

Stephanie was, on the surface anyway, trying to become friends with Rachel. But Santana knew the scheming little bitch very well and understood that she had set her sights upon Rachel as a target. Unfortunately, Rachel was willing to give the Devil's Spawn a chance. This whole Play thing was going to Rachel's head. True, some of the bullies were making a change for the better, but Stephanie Hanson would never be amongst that group.

The Latina quickly donned a Red sweatshirt pulling up the hood to give her some additional attitude. She wore her Black Army Boots for the sole purpose of confronting the creepy Sophomore freak. She bent down to give Britt a kiss on the cheek, winked at Quinn and stomped around the row of lockers.

"Hanson I want to talk to you." She marched up to the tall and slender blonde girl who was, incidentally, quite beautiful in the classic sense. Her hair was like satin and the color of straw, her skin was pale alabaster, and her features were pleasantly sculpted. Fine chiseled lines in all the right places - she would be an ideal model if you were into drawing portraits because her features were so sharp and clean. Her eyes, however, were soulless pools of pale grey. They looked like murky, tinted glass marbles, empty of life except for the sinister, cynical gleam forever mocking whomever she focused them upon.

"What do you want now Santana? Didn't you punish me enough in practice today?" The girl was putting on the _poor me_ act but Santana would never fall for this bitch's _dog and pony_ show.

"I'm going to tell you once and only once so you better listen close. Stay away from Berry. I don't know what you think you're getting up to this week with all of your stupid flirting or whatever it is you think you're doing but stop it. You know that Quinn and I were _instructed _to keep an eye on her. If the CCC sees you sniffing up her skirt like you have been all week he might get suspicious of your intentions. And then we'll all be fucked."

The tall blonde girl rolled her eyes and began to strip out of her Cheerio uniform. She knew Lopez was into to chicks so it wouldn't hurt if she gave her a little show to set her off balance. Stephanie smirked at the thought and flashed the Latina a knowing grin before flashing a little more skin than was necessary.

Santana snorted out loud before loading up her guns and firing off a sharp round.

"Spare me Hanson, please, if I wanted to ogle a serpent I would visit the zoo. Just keep away from Berry. If I see you hovering around her locker or trying to talk to her again, I'll lay you out. I promise."

Stephanie paled at Santana's insult, she felt a surge of adrenaline rush her system. The rage was just below the surface and she tried to rein it in but some of it leaked out in the form of a sharp retort.

"Fuck off Lopez, I'm only trying to be nice to her. I'm not allowed anywhere near Cindy and Giles so I thought I would try and make amends a different way. You know by being kind to people. Not just Berry, I told that faggy kid I liked his faggy boots. Why aren't you yelling at me about him?"

In a heartbeat Stephanie was flattened against the cool steel of her locker with Santana Lopez's arm shoved against her throat. "

"Don't ever speak to me like that again Hanson. And for the record, that _faggy _kid is Kurt Hummel, who is under Karofsky's protection. Are you a moron or what? We're all trying to follow the _instructions_ of that nut job who kidnapped us and you're running around putting us all at risk."

She was seeing spots now, and the white light wasn't filtering in to help her. Stephanie zoned out for a moment while Santana Lopez had her by the throat. She had to breathe, she had to breathe and calm her thoughts. She couldn't lose control now - having a panic attack in front of Satan Lopez was not acceptable. _Calm thoughts. Lopez always acts like this, it's no different than how she acts in practice._

Stephanie realized she hadn't done a very good job of being subtle this week while trying to be friendly to people. It was a lot harder to do than she thought it would be. She didn't know how to talk to losers without wanting to hurt them somehow. Some of that must have shown in her facial expressions or her body language. She would have to practice harder. _That's it calm down. Calm now. Calmer now._ Okay you can answer the crazy bitch without pissing her off again.

She coughed to let Santana know she was having a hard time breathing and nodded her head meekly to let the scary freak know she got the message. Santana let her go and then stepped back. She crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her gaze impatiently, waiting for Stephanie to give her a verbal agreement as well.

"Alright Lopez I'll back off and mind my own business." She lowered her head and pretended to be cowed but couldn't help getting in a final little dig. She wanted to see if she could score a hit with her next statement.

"Berry doesn't mind me talking to her you know. She was a little surprised I could tell. Like she thought I was going to set her up for something. But then she relaxed and let me talk to her, and walk with her to History class. We only talked about her glee stuff of course, but she seemed to like the attention I was giving her."

And that's when Stephanie knew she hit her mark. Santana Lopez did not like hearing this at all. She wasn't just warning Stephanie off because of the stupid CCC (Color Coder of Cheerio's). It was personal. She cared about the little diva and felt a threat. Well, good for her, she should be worrying because in two days time Rachel Berry was going for a ride she would never come back from.

Lopez just stood there, frozen, staring at her with black eyes. Eyes that looked like death and Stephanie flinched with their intensity. Maybe she shouldn't push the Latina anymore after all. Her game was with Berry not Lopez. And where the hell was Fabray? Why was she letting her Second handle this?

"One last time Stephanie." Santana leaned in to Stephanie's space again and her tone was a grating hateful rasp. "Do you understand me?... Are we clear?... Or do I have to beat you bloody to make you understand?"

"I get it Lopez. I get it ...crystal clear. I'll stay away from Rachel Berry." Stephanie finally decided to back down and tell the bitch what she wanted to hear. And she would do what she said - for the next two days at least.

**Thursday**

**HOCKEY GLEEKS.**

**Rachel, Quinn, Santana, Brittany all the Gleeks, Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury and Sue Sylvester.**

_"Swoosh! Spray!"_

_"Eeeeeeek..."_

Laughter...chortles...giggles...snorts!

"Quinn Fabray!" (Stomp!) Wobble...spastic ice dance, including never before seen choreography with a hockey stick.

Rachel wiped the spattered snow and ice from the front of her New York Rangers Jersey and the tiny bits that made it up to her chin. This was slightly better than a slushie facial but not by much. Harumph.

She had watched in awe as Quinn dashed around the ice on the very edge of the oval. Weaving in and around her fellow gleeks, darting and bobbing looking incredibly sexy. Her honey blonde hair flowing gracefully in sync with the dips and twisty turns her body made in order to avoid a collision. She sped around the entire rink three times building up tremendous speed, on the final turn she made it clear she was heading straight for Rachel.

Rachel, who was standing on the ice trying desperately to balance on her skates while propping herself up with a hockey stick, watched in wide eyed fascination as her girlfriend skated round and round. That fascination turned into an adoring smile the moment she made eye contact with Quinn - the moment she noticed that Quinn was skating towards her. In less than a second that adoration turned into curiosity, followed by perplexity which quickly turned into all out panic.

Quinn was going to run her down! Quinn was speeding her way, wearing a smile that could only be described as _wicked. _At the final moment, the moment of inevitable impact when Quinn would hurl her body into Rachel's sending them head over heels into the snowbank...

_Swoosh!_

Rachel closed her eyes for the impending crash but still, somehow, managed to see what happened. Quinn had twisted her hips and dug the edges of her skate blades into the ice, creating a shower of mist which thoroughly coated Rachel in frosty white particles of ice. That move should be against the laws of physics. Harumph!

"That, is what is known as a _hockey stop!_" Santana glided by the startled diva and her giggling girlfriend wearing her usual snarky grin. After sharing her expertise, Santana did something clever with her skates and was suddenly going backwards. This enabled her to continue to watch the tiny diva work herself up into a stomp out. But wait. Rachel couldn't stomp out because she could barely stand up on her skates. _Snort!_

The gloating Latina made the mistake of being unaware of what was in the space behind her. Mercedes had made her way onto the ice. Mercedes was only slightly better at skating than Rachel. Meaning she could move but only if she stared at her feet while propelling herself forward with the butt end of the club in her hands. She call her hockey stick a club and intended to use it very much the same way.

Blam!

"Ohhh...F#K*$g...HELL TO THE NO! Girl...I'ma whip your skinny ass. Help me up!"

"Nada que ver!...nuh uh..uh. I'm not picking you up _Choc..o...late_. Not unless you drop your weapon.

**TWEEEEET!**

A whistle blew interrupting the multivaried teenage dramas that were playing out in little clusters all around the outdoor rink.

"Alright the warm up is over lets pick teams and get this little gleek show on the road."

"Why is _she_ here?" Rachel hissed at Quinn who had suddenly gotten very serious at seeing her Coach gliding to the center of the rink. Today's outfit was Blue Adidas with white stripes, hockey skates and a rainbow striped beanie with a giant fuzzy tassle swinging to and fro. Coach Sylvester was a good skater Quinn noted and shook her head in defeat. Was there nothing that woman couldn't do?

Sigh.

The rest of the gleeks skated over to where Rachel, Quinn, Mercedes, Santana and Brittany had gathered to commiserate in soft spoken grumbly whines and objections.

Sue Sylvester had offered to referee their hockey game. UGH!

Will thought it was the only peace offering he might ever get from the manipulative Cheerio Coach but he really didn't want to refuse her. Out of the blue, Rachel decided that playing a hockey game together would be a good bonding experience for the team. The snows had come really early this winter and the kids were all excited that the outdoor rink in town was open already. He reserved the use of it for thursday afternoon and managed to talk Mr. Simmons into loaning out some of the old hockey equipment.

Each of the kids had sticks, helmets, shin guards, elbow pads and hockey gloves but were required to bring their own skates. Will was shocked that nearly the whole club was bubbling with excitement over this activity. Rachel didn't even know how to skate and yet she suggested an activity that she knew she would not excel in? What was going on with these kids? He didn't want to jinx the great feeling he had about the game, so when Sue showed up and offered to referee, Will gladly excepted. That way he could play in the game with his kids and Emma had, surprisingly, agreed to come along to help supervise the activity.

The teams were split up into two groups of six players each. Rachel, Santana, Puck, Sam, Tina, and Mr. Schue were on _Team Barbara_. Kurt, Quinn, Brittany, Finn, Mercedes, Mike and Lauren, were on _Team Fabulous_. Don't even try to guess who the captains were! Ms. Pillsbury and Artie were the designated 'coaches.'

Each team had benches off to the side to store their extra gear, take rests and switch lines. However, because they only had enough players for one line on each team they didn't really need to worry about line changes. This really bothered Rachel because the line changes were vital to the upcoming Scene of her Play.

The outdoor rink was a good sized oval but not regulation size for a hockey game. It also didn't have boards surrounding it. Just lots of snow piled up in banks. The kids were required to Zamboni the ice themselves before they started playing - meaning they all grabbed a shovel and skated around the oval clearing the excess snow that had blown in flurries onto the surface.

Thankfully, the puck was foam rubber. None of the gleeks had full padded gear to protect them from the damage a real puck would do if someone managed to fire a real slapshot.

Rachel and Mercedes were designated as the goalies, which was really the safest place to put them because neither of them could skate. They could cling to the cross bar of the net, however, and block whatever shots came their way with a lucky kick or swat with their club (stick). Or, like Mercedes had figured out, just lay down on the ice across the width of the net and most of the shots would get blocked by her body.

**TWEET!**

Sue Sylvester blew her whistle calling them all to the center of the rink for the face off. She waited patiently while Quinn basically dragged Rachel across the ice and and propped her up against the frame of the net. Her eyebrow twitched upon witnessing her Cheerio Captain plant a shy kiss upon the midgets cheek. Hmm? That is an interesting development and one that wasn't a complete surprise, but interesting all the same. She noticed the varying shades of Red that Q. was turning upon realizing she just outed herself to her Coach.

Mercedes insisted on getting to the net on her own. After two minutes of watching her use the stick like a canoe paddle to propel herself forward Santana couldn't take it any longer.

"Alright Weezy, grab on to my jacket and I'll give you a ride to the net. If you don't, I'll kill you right now." Mercedes didn't really have a choice as Santana was, literally, skating circles around her.

And that was the start of the gleeks hockey game. Three periods of twenty minutes were played. Amazing feats of athleticism were seen. Kurt Hummel was an excellent athlete. He was perhaps, with the exception of Brittany Pierce, the best skater on the rink. They had both taken years of figure skating and completely shocked the majority of their teammates with their speed, grace and agility.

Brittany and Kurt were holding their own private game of hockey. Whenever the puck came near them they slapped it away with their sticks. It didn't matter what direction they shot it in so long as it took the action away from them. They were practicing jumps, and spins and axels and stuff. Each of them rapping their sticks on the ice and cheering for the other when a difficult jump had been successfully landed. The _real _game played on around them with shrieks and screams and laughter. Every few minutes a loud "_Score_" would be shouted, followed by Sue Sylvester's irritating whistle.

**TWEET!**

"Dorothy Hammill and Tonya Harding your teams are facing off."

Begrudgingly the two would skate back to the center of the rink. Sue would drop the puck between Quinn and Santana who were playing the center positions. After the puck was slapped away, Kurt and Brittany would skate back to the opposite end of the rink. They switched sides with every face off so Mercedes and Rachel could take turns judging their jumps for them.

"That one is really going to be hard to decide upon. I give it a 9.5 Kurt, but only because you didn't bow like Brittany did after you landed. She gets a 10.0 for the additional flair and showmanship." Rachel was so totally engrossed in her role as the Canadian Judge that she didn't see her girlfriend barreling down the ice in a break away with the puck.

**"Rachel!" **Sam shouted, drawing her attention back to the game. She was lazily leaning against the crossbar of the net when she noticed Quinn coming at her full speed. Quinn was playing with the puck like Lord Tubbington played with his stuffed mouse; batting it back and forth, the movement was making Rachel dizzy with the effort of trying to keep her eyes on it.

Not knowing exactly what to do to block the goal. She hadn't had much success thus far. The score was 22 to 19 and it was only the second period. Thankfully, the opposing teams goalie was equally inept, which helped to make the game suspenseful and also somewhat of a _'barnburner'_.

At the last moment, just when Quinn was pulling her stick back, rolling the puck along its blade, getting ready to release her shot - Rachel screamed. "eeeeeeeeeeeek" She followed the scream with an inspired lunge, which really only served to make her fall down with momentum. Enough momentum to slip and slide and swing her club(stick) across the ice to trip the oncoming opponent (her girlfriend).

**TWEET! **

"Penalty! "

And Sue Sylvester reverted to her secret hand talk. The leftover secret hand talk from the military. She pointed at her eyes with her middle and index finger and pointed them back at Rachel. Back and forth, back and forth all the while she was grinning like a gargoyle.

"Two minutes Berry. Tripping." Sue shouted and pointed at the Penalty Box .

Quinn was lying on the ice with her head buried in her hockey gloves while her whole body shook and heaved.

"Quinn, are you okay?" Rachel too, was lying on the ice but the fall did nothing but bruise her pride.

Peals of laughter.

Harumph!

Rachel was escorted, on wobbly skates, by her giggling girlfriend to the Box of Shame. Which was really only the benches where Artie and Ms. Pillbury were seated. She _was _ashamed because thus far she was the only player on the ice who received a penalty. Artie seemed to think it was quite impressive.

"Wow Rachel, it's really rare for a goalie to get a penalty during a game. Not only that you took down your own girlfriend. That was so _Hot!_"

"Speaking of hot" Ms. Pillsbury cleared her throat uncomfortably at the turn of Artie's conversation. " Rachel would you like a cup of hot chocolate while you are being punished?"

Ms. Pillsbury handed over a steamy foaming cup of heavenly, liquid chocolate. "Don't worry Rachel, this is non dairy hot cocoa."

"Thank you Ms. Pillsbury for your thoughtfulness." Rachel smiled at the guidance counselor and took note that Mr. Shuester had replaced herself as goalie so Quinn could take her penalty shot.

The rest of the players noticed that Rachel's punishment didn't seem to be so awful and decided to take a break themselves. Minutes later, after scoring her goal, the second period ended and Quinn was seated next to Rachel sharing her cup of cocoa.

Both teams were taking a rest, seated on the benches enjoying the refreshments that Emma provided. This was so fun. The day was clear and crisp leaving the ice hard and smooth and perfect for hockey. The kids were being themselves in every capacity and no one minded at all. Each of them belonged in this little gleeky family.

Even Finn Hudson. As surly as the boy had been lately, he seemed to relax and enjoy the game with the rest of his fellow gleeks. He was also quite proud that he scored seven of the goals for his team.

He had really shown the group that he could play in any sport. It was a toss up as to who the best player was. Santana, Quinn, Puck and Finn had played for years on this rink. Pick-up games with the other rink rats but none of them were on the Hockey team.

It was time for Rachel's test trial.

She elbowed Quinn in the ribs and narrowed her gaze. Quinn arched her brow in response and got up to talk with Sam and Mike. She was going to distract them from the conversation that Puck and Finn were having. Brittany and Santana were entertaining Mr. Schuester and the rest of the gleeks with a wild story involving Brittany and Kurt's first performance in the Lima Ice Capades.

The true purpose of today's game was left for Puck to perform. He was going to drop a little something on the rubber mats beneath the benches they were all sitting upon. He pulled off his hockey glove and casually shook it out, right below where Finn was sitting, bragging about his hockey prowess.

Rachel wanted only one target for this practice run. One target would suffice. She didn't want to tip her hand to the rest of the glee club and spoil their surprise for the _real_ Hockey game. Act II, Scene IV of her Play. This game among the gleeks is what she thought of as a dress rehearsal. To make certain that her theory would prove true.

If only one of her fellow gleeks was suddenly having trouble with their skates, it wouldn't be as notable. Everyone would shrug it off as Finn's bad luck that he happened to step into something before he went back onto the ice.

Also, the fact that it _was_ Finn would make it oh so much more enjoyable to watch.

"Snort! Giggle!"

**To Be Continued**

Sorry for the mistakes, I'll go back and clean up the mess but I wanted to give you all an update.

_Hope you stick around to see what happens. _

_Good or bad, I'd love to hear what you are thinking. Thanks so much to those of you who have taken the time to review._

"Ay, Dios, Mio! Terca como una mula! " (Oh My God! She is stubborn as a mule)

"Nada que ver!" (Not going to happen)


	21. Gone Baby Gone

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter XXI. "Gone Baby Gone"**

**Jeremy**

Jeremy Miller sauntered down the hall flanked by his right winger and left defenseman. They were wearing their Hockey Jersey's because today was a game day and that was the greatest feeling for him. His Jersey had the coveted C for Captain on the upper left shoulder signifying his importance to the whole school. The Hockey team had floated through this school year unplagued by pervasive stinks or savage colors, or even the threat of such things happening to them.

Sure, some of them got the nasty poetry warnings but most of the players were smart enough not to get caught while delivering bad news to losers. The dumpster toss was the hockey teams favorite form of dissing geeks and gleeks and, for some reason, the Skunker hadn't ever caught them in the act. The team performed these duties in lines, just like on the ice. They worked as a group, therefore none of them was singled out as a particularly bad individual. They were perceived as mischief makers. You know, the whole 'boys will be boys' cliche, which implied harmless pranking but nothing too serious. Jeremy was fine with that kind of rep until Azimo started whispering in his ear.

Azimo had dared him to up his game. And, if he was honest with himself he really wanted to see if he could get away with it. He knew that Azimo was really egging him on for his own personal satisfaction. The football player was acting like a junkie without his fix - his slushie tossing fix. So, he begged Jeremy to finish the task he left uncompleted on the day of his major meltdown.

_"C'mon Jer... just one double shot for Berry and I'll leave you alone. You know I can't do it coz the Skanky Skunker will get me expelled. I promise Jer... anything you want if you do this for me. Pleeeasse?"_

Jeremy thought he wouldn't mind. Berry hadn't had a slushie in a while. She was even starting to act a little cocky with Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez hovering in her shadow. They were forced to be her body guards or else the Skunker was going to get them somehow. That's what Az had told him anyway.

He knew it was a risk going after Berry in direct opposition of Fabray and Lopez. But a part of him wanted in on all the drama. He wanted to be the center of attention for once. Show everyone in school that he could be _the man. _Rachel Berry was the key. Somehow, that smart mouthed little diva was the center of the maelstrom at this school.

She wasn't popular by any means, but she was known by all. In fact, she was pointedly ostracized in the cruelest most intentional campaign of denigration the Cheerios had ever embarked upon. Quinn Fabray had been the instigator and most avid participant, marking Rachel Berry as the single most untouchable amongst all others. Well, except for JewFro but he didn't even count.

And still, in spite of the entire student body joining in - tossing slushies and slinging insults, endless teasing and hurtful mockery; that little sprite, that tiny talented girl stood tall and towering above them all.

They couldn't touch her. And she knew it. Rachel Berry was a star. A mega star that fell from heaven and landed in bum fuck Lima. Her light burned big and bright, blinding the 'lackluster losers,' leaving them no choice but to dash that brightness out.

And boy did they _try_. This is what he told himself as he waltzed down the hall to give it a shot himself. Everybody did it. Everyone who was _anyone_ took a shot at Rachel Berry. She bounced right back as though it didn't matter. As though _they_ didn't matter. Well, Jeremy was going to take his turn.

He knew that Rachel cried in the bathroom after every walk of shame. He knew she didn't have any friends. He knew that when she sang his eyes welled up with tears and his heart filled up with joy. He knew she was an angel walking among the damned.

And because of all of those things, Jeremy knew that what he was about to do was horribly wrong. But the stage was already set, the play was in motion and he couldn't seem to gather up the courage to stop. He would be the center of the storm, the one who got noticed.

Everyone would laugh. They would pat him on the back while pointing their fingers and shouting out, "Manhands, Rupaul, Treasure Trail, Dwarf, Midget, Freak." God, that list was endless. This place was insane. These rotten kids were insane. He was insane.

Jeremy Miller, captain of the Hockey team slowed his swaggering stride as he reached the corner in the hallway that would lead him to his ultimate destination. His ill fated glory.

Mickey Everson was just ahead smiling and waving as the look-out. Yes, she was there. At her locker unattended. The Cheerios were called to Coach Sylvester's office. No Fabray or Lopez to get in his way. He had paid the ever impressionable Becky Jackson twenty bucks to make that happen.

Jeremy turned the corner and his heart lurched in his chest. He glanced at Gary and Jared beside him. They both grinned with anticipation, each of them carrying double shots of Grape which was Berry's favorite flavor. Azimo made a point to remind him that he should be considerate when choosing the flavor. Jeremy glanced at his trembling hands, which were failing to keep the frozen goo from overflowing the giant cups.

_Why was he doing this exactly?_ He asked himself as he continued to sidle down the hall. He suddenly felt like his feet were full of lead. _She's so small. And pretty. When she talks her voice is smooth like velvet and pleasant to listen to. Her eyes are so expressive. And warm._

_She's gentle and kind. She's beautiful and sweet. She's talented and brave. _

The hall has gone quiet. The tension in the air is thick as everyone stops to look his way. The first bell rings. Students shuffle their feet nervously. Everyone wants to scurry off to class but no one does. They want to watch the train wreck.

She turns around because she knows this familiar feeling. Right before she goes on stage there is a false calm.

Everyone holds their breath. Hearts stop beating, eyes stop blinking and then she sees you. Her shoulders brace, she narrows that brown eyed gaze and pierces your soul with a look that could only be called pity. She feels sorry for you.

Without even noticing how you got there you are standing right before her. She managed to put her books back in her locker because she knows how this will end. She's wearing her Butterfly sweater and a short brown skirt with the standard White knee highs. Her little feet are encased in Brown penny loafers to match the skirt. _Why is he thinking this?_ _Who cares what she's wearing?_ Except that he knows she likes her Brown penny loafers the best. She usually wears Mary Janes or the Black loafers and saves the Brown for special. He heard her telling this to Brittany Pierce last week. _Why does he remember that? _

"Jeremy, the first bell has already rung, could you please get on with it. I'll need to change and I'd rather not have to miss all of fifth period waiting for you to gather up your courage."

And that was all it took to snap him out of his stupor.

Jeremy nodded at Gary and Jared, he struggled with conflicting emotions - forcing his features into a painful grin. Painful because he had never struggled so hard in his life to form a simple smile. Smiling was easy for Jeremy Miller because he was a happy boy. A good boy. He really didn't like to hurt people. He went along with all the others because that's what he was supposed to do. And so it hurt. It hurt to wear this smile which wasn't even a grin but a grimace. The best he could do under the circumstances.

He very gently dumped the contents of the plastic cups he was carrying all over the tiny diva. Jared and Gary got a little carried away and tossed theirs rather violently into her face, causing her to gasp and flinch. Whoa. They weren't supposed to be so mean about it. He snarled at the two and shoved them back before turning to see if Rachel was okay. _What?_ _What the fuck was wrong with him? _ _Of course she wasn't okay._

It didn't matter because she was already marching toward the bathroom with her slushie kit in hand. Her shoulders slumped and yes, people were pointing and laughing and patting him on the back. He lost his focus on Rachel as she disappeared behind a blurry film of tears. Tears that were streaming in streaks upon his cheeks. _What the fuck was wrong with him? Why? Why did he do that?_ Fuck. He dropped the empty cups onto the floor and started to leave but not before stopping in front of a chortling Azimo Adams. He shoved the football player into the row of lockers behind them, slamming him hard - once, twice, thrice.

"Fuck off Az. I'm done with you!"

He glanced around the hall and shouted at the rest of the spineless hypocrites who stood around in the awkward silence wearing confused expressions. Some of them were still laughing but not so gleefully any more.

He hated them all. He hated himself.

"Fuck you all." Jeremy shouted, he slammed the football player one last time before stomping down the hall in a fit of rage.

...

**Rachel, Brittany, Quinn, Santana**

Brittany was the first to leave the locker room. She knew something bad was going to happen but didn't want to take the time to explain it to Santana and Quinn. She ran. That stupid meeting was a set-up, Coach wasn't even there and she was not going to sit around and wait.

After seeing the virtual lake of Grape slushie on the floor in front of Rachel's locker and the subsequent trail leading away, she knew where to search for her friend. Her heart ached as she opened the door to the girls bathroom knowing what she would find inside.

Rachel was slumped on the floor leaning against the far wall, her face was buried in her knees - she hugged them fiercely as she wept. Grape slushie was dripping off her hair, her clothes, it was pooling inside her shoes and puddled all around her.

Whomever did this is going to die! Brittany's silent thoughts were foreign in a way she couldn't even recognize but didn't really care. They had gone too far and they would pay.

_No. No, no, no, no, no._ Brittany chanted to herself as she knelt down beside her friend, pulling her into her arms. _No, no, no, no, no. _

"I've got you Rachel. I've got you." She sat down on the floor and pulled Rachel into her lap, encircling that tiny body within her strong arms and holding tight. She whispered words of warmth and comfort and love. Together they were bathed in the dripping Purple goo, mingling with their overflowing tears as they allowed themselves to dwell in simple sadness.

A moment later the door burst open.

Enter: Santana and Quinn.

Quinn stopped in the center of that well lit bathroom. She just stopped. Stopped breathing, stopped thinking, stopped feeling. Her heart stopped beating. She was stuck in time. Like a giant clock that ticked and tocked but suddenly all at once the hand stopped - and a bell chimed, ringing in the sounds of silence that would echo through these halls for all eternity. Quinn lost a moment, an hour, a day, a week, a year, a decade, eons - a lifetime in that span of timeless time which left her frozen solid.

Then, suddenly, sensations were spilling forth on overload; she could hear the quiet heartbreaking sobs, the loud, very loud, Spanish curses and feel the trail of hot, hot teardrops steaming down her cheeks in rivulets.

She would think of murder later, but for now Rachel needed her. She was on the floor in a flash wrapping herself around the ball of human sorrow that was Brittany and Rachel. Tears are good. She knew this. Let them cry. She was crying too. Her heart quaked and shuddered, beating frantically in her chest, it seemed to roar inside her ears keeping an angry and uneven tempo.

"Que chingados! Hijo de puta madre... when I find out who did this they will pudrete en el infierno!"

Santana was pacing back and forth in front of the bathroom door keeping guard so no one would interrupt her friends. She was shouting really loud and though she didn't know it, her job was well done. Several girls had made their way to the restroom but were quickly running in the opposite direction - fleeing the Spanish curses.

Some little time later they made their way to the Cheerio locker room to clean up. The showers were clear and so was the lounge. All the Cheerios had access daily and most of them spent their free periods studying and hanging out in this domain. She didn't know how but the place was blessedly empty.

Rachel, Quinn and Brittany showered while Santana, once again, guarded the door. Rachel wouldn't allow Santana to hug her or hold her.

_"No Santana, no need for you or your uniform to get covered in this mess too. I don't want you getting into any more trouble with Coach Sylvester. You can hug me after my shower." _

Santana's eyes were running again. She couldn't believe it happened. Why would Miller suddenly target Rachel so viciously? One slushie she could understand. A pathetic attempt at grabbing some hype. Their hockey season was just starting off, she could see how that might psych him up for his game. It was a twisted concept but not uncommon. But six slushies? That was unheard of and completely overkill.

After it was all over Rachel was more concerned about her camera eyes than any other aspect of what happened. They had never been subjected to that much slushie before but Peter assured her they were waterproof. She plucked them off the drowning Butterfly and planted them on The Polar Bear - who would take over the duty of recording Rachel's every move. She changed into a pair of well worn jeans and donned the white sweater with a sense of weary relief that was tinged with an overwhelming sadness.

Things had been going so well lately that she had let her guard down. For some reason this attack hurt more than all the others. Mostly because she could tell that Jeremy didn't want to follow through with his actions - of course she had to open her big mouth and encourage him to move it along.

They were all calmed down to some extent. Rachel was comfortably ensconced in Quinn's lap, snuggling close, resting her head on her girlfriends shoulder on the sofa in the lounge. The Cheerio was being extra gentle and protective. She kept stroking Rachel's back in soothing circles and kissing her head as the tiny diva curled into a ball upon her body.

Brittany and Santana were sharing a comfy chair in much the same position as their friends. Santana was wrapped in Brittany's arms with tears still streaming down her face. She wiped them away fiercely as they fell.

Sniffle.

"I'm cancelling tonight's Op. " Rachel announced to the group.

They all nodded in understanding if not agreement.

"I... I'm still going to get the hockey team but not now. Not tonight. I don't want vengeance and this will feel too much like that. We can wait until Wednesday's game when this incident isn't quite so fresh in everyone's mind. "

Quinn hugged her tighter for a moment and kissed her on the cheek, she spoke softly but loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's okay baby you don't have to explain your reasons to us. This is your show sweetheart, we're just lucky enough to be a par-... " But Quinn was interrupted by the door to the lounge being shoved open and an angry ranting Puck striding through.

"We are so going after Miller and his fucking hacks!" The boy was running his hand over the length of his mohawk and stomping about the room.

" I can't even find that fucking coward he skipped his fifth hour Algebra class. When I do he's dead meat. I'm sorry Rachel. I'm so sorry. "

Rachel sat up straight in Quinn's lap, she pushed her still damp hair off her face before responding to Pucks ire.

"No Noah. Leave Jeremy alone. I know you'll find this hard to believe but I think Jeremy is hurting more than I am right now. He really didn't want to throw those slushies. The look on his face was haunted. I have every intention of playing out the Scene with the hockey team... just not tonight Puck. It wouldn't feel right. "

"You've gotta be kidding Rach. No way that asswipe is getting away with what he did. On principal alone he has to be shown he can't mess with my Jewbro, or the glee club. I get it if you want to hold off on the Play tonight Rach. But me and the gleeks are going to the game. We are going to heckle the hell of out those losers. Everyone at the game will know what they did Rach."

Rachel was shaking her head _no_ but she could tell by the gleam in Pucks eyes that whatever she said wouldn't change his mind. He was determined and a part of her thought it might not be a bad idea if the whole glee club went along with him. They could make a solid showing in front of the rest of the school. It would also help to distract suspicion from her real Scene on Wednesday night. If the glee club made a big enough show of it tonight, no one would suspect them when the real shenanigans went down on Wednesday.

"Okay Noah. If that's what you want to do but make sure you do bring the rest of the glee club with you. And don't do anything illegal you're still on probation. Quinn, Santana and Britt have to be there with the Cheerios anyway. "

"You aren't coming to the game Rach?" Quinn asked, knowing it was probably better for her not to come. But she didn't want Rachel to be home alone after what happened today. Maybe she could talk to Coach Sylvester and get out of going to the game. Rachel's Daddy's had their date night on Friday so they wouldn't be home with her tonight. Darn.

Rachel turned to kiss Quinn on the cheek and smile into her girlfriends lovely hazel eyes.

"No baby. I'll be fine. I promise. I just want to go home and take a hot bath and cuddle up with a movie until you come over."

"I could go home with you Rach." Brittany offered. "Coach won't mind me missing as much as she would San and Quinn. They're her Captain and Second. I'm just the Third so it won't matter much. I don't like you being alone tonight Rach."

"Me neither Tiny." Santana piped in and silently scolded herself for letting that diminutive nickname slip out. Rachel smiled at the two and chuckled as Santana's face turned Red. She could tell the girl was self flagellating.

"I love you too Santana." She winked at her fiery friend. "And, no Britt I don't want you getting on Coach Sylvester's list any more than Quinn or Santana. Besides, I really do need some time alone to think. I'll be okay."

"I think we should all just finish this day as normally as we possibly can. Let's have a good time in glee and maybe you could all come over after the game? For a little while anyway, but then I want my time with Quinn." She placed a lingering open mouth kiss on her girlfriends neck to emphasize what she had in mind.

Quinn flushed bright Red.

"Ew... gross."

"Giggle."

"_Yeah baby!_"

...

**Stephanie **

Holy Christ! God, that Miller was an idiot. Fuck. He better not have ruined her plans because she would_ gut_ him if he did. He was supposed to slushie Berry, not bury her in the stuff. Boys were so fucking dumb.

She thought she manipulated Azimo quite nicely. She knew he would put Miller up to the job once she had him convinced the Skunker would never know about his encouragement. None of those clips on the video had sound, so however the creep was recording them he wasn't getting their conversations. No proof. No foul. Azimo had been easy to convince. Ever since that day he had his spastic fit, he was was completely obsessed with dousing Rachel Berry with a double shot of Grape slushie.

Well, he got her but good. Too good to the point of traumatizing her. The point of having Berry slushied was to get the focus off of Stephanie. Lopez was just a little too concerned on Berry's behalf that Stephanie wanted her directing her anger elsewhere this evening. The hockey team was the perfect scapegoat. Lopez and Fabray would be so pissed at Miller and his goons they wouldn't even pay attention to what Stephanie might get up to.

The Cheerio's had a mandatory meeting directly after to school to organize their cheer rotation for the game tonight.

Stephanie was going to skip. She had some place better to be.

**Rachel and Quinn.**

Everyone trickled out of the choir room after glee, leaving Quinn and Rachel alone in front row seats. The events of the day had taken their toll on them emotionally and they wanted a few quiet moments together before Rachel went home and Quinn left for her Cheerio meeting.

Quinn had spent the last two hours of the day reining in her rage. A rage so white hot she felt herself melting from within. Her anger wouldn't help Rachel. Not now anyway. She didn't want to let it loose in Rachel's presence - have it ill affect the reassuring calm and gentle love her girlfriend needed in this moment.

She could wait until the game tonight to let her demons loose. Jeremy Miller was a walking statistic that the halls of McKinley High would whisper about for generations to come. Rachel didn't need to know what Quinn and Santana intended. Even Britt was agreeing to help them, which spoke volumes as to how offensive Miller's act had been.

Quinn was actually relieved that Rach was going home after school, so she wouldn't be around to hear them scheme. Rachel wouldn't approve and Quinn did not enjoy her girlfriends disapproval. Smirk.

"What are you thinking? And why are you smirking like that Quinn?"

_Oops, I forgot how perceptive the little sneak can be. Get it together Quinn. Hug her, kiss her and send her home happy, so you can deliver a message to the school. Rachel Berry is mine and if anyone ever touches her again they will be a walking mud splat for the rest of their high school careers._

" I wasn't smirking. I was smiling because I was thinking about you. And how enormously lucky I am to be with you."

"Uh huh? Seriously? You want me to believe that?"

"Yes."

Sigh.

"Quinn, I know you. I know how you think. I also know that you and Santana are probably going to do something horrible to Jeremy tonight. Please, I know you think he needs to be taught some kind of lesson... but I saw his face Quinn. I don't know why he followed through with the slushie attack but I know he's hurting too. I'm not happy about what happened, in fact, I'm very disappointed because I feel like everything just got sent back a giant step. All the progress swept away in a pointless act of male juvenile chest thumping."

"Rachel No! No it didn't. Don't ever think that. Any fight for real change always has some setbacks. People don't just roll over because someone tells them to Rachel. Which is why Puck was right earlier today. Jeremy needs to be the example unfortunately. I'm betting someone egged him on, or dared him to do it - but the end result was still the same. He chose his actions and he needs to be punished. We need to be consistent Rachel and let the whole school know that bullying will not be tolerated any more. This is a teaching opportunity Rachel."

"But you're going to hurt him aren't you Quinn?"

"Not physically, no. Embarrass him yes. And the team, but hurt him? No."

Sniff.

"I'm glad I'm not going to the game then."

"Everything will be okay Rachel. I promise. "

Quinn stood up and reached out to clasp Rachel's hand. She gave it a tug, pulling the girl out of her chair and into an all encompassing hug. A hug that spoke her feelings better than any words could. She leaned back to gaze into that dark expressive brown, losing herself as she always did in the penetrating warmth and brilliant sparkle that caused her heart to flutter erratically.

Quinn channeled her feelings together into a swirling ribbon of light, she visualized it pouring out of her heart, sweeping through her body and enveloping Rachel in a bright protective armor. Slowly, ever so slowly she leaned down to sample the fullness of that sensual mouth.

She did with the kiss what she had done with the hug. Focused every speck of of anything good and caring that dwelt within her being, all of her passion and love and strength; she twined it tightly together before spilling it forth, spreading it warmly onto that heavenly supple mouth.

The kiss was sweet and gentle and soft and tender. It wasn't urgent or needy. Not lustful or greedy. It was simple and deep. I'm here now, and will be here later, and forevermore. I'm yours.

Rachel felt like she was drowning in love. Her whole body hummed from within and without. A warmth so sweet she could almost taste, it seeped into every cell. Quinn was kissing her full of love and life and light and she'd never felt anything so vibrant and intense and whole.

Tears were trickling down her cheeks when she stepped back to look at Quinn. Her mutable green gold eyes shimmered with the wet of unshed tears, her smile was so very bright and beautiful and healing. Rachel felt full and well and loved and nothing could take that away. Not one slushie or six or ten or a hundred. Quinn had done that for her just now. Quinn had made her see as well as feel. It was so overwhelming Rachel almost didn't know how to deal with it. That awful feeling from earlier. The hurt. That shame. It was gone, all gone because of Quinn.

Hand in hand they left the choir room. Quinn walked Rachel to the door, leaned in to kiss her softly, and whisper.

"I love you Rachel... I'll see you later sweetheart. Call or text when you get home okay?"

"I love you too. Okay... I'll probably just text because I know you'll be in your meeting."

"Kay... bye babe." Quinn waved and trotted down the hall as Rachel pushed the doors open, bracing herself against the chill of a late November afternoon.

...

**Stephanie and Rachel**

Rachel eased her way through the icy parking lot staring at her feet. She forgot to wear her beanie today and the wind was gusting harshly, blowing snow in flurries at her face. She should button up her pea coat and not be so stubborn all the time. But the whole point of the animal sweaters and the camera eyes was to record everything. She had gotten in the habit of dressing in layers for the winter. A long sleeve tee shirt or turtleneck was worn underneath her animal sweaters and that was usually enough to keep her warm.

She never buttoned her coat because she didn't want to miss events on school grounds that would be worthy of including in her documentary films. So, even on the freezing windy days, she suffered the chill until she reached her car. Only then would she button up. Just a few more feet and she would be warm and snug inside her Mini Coop. She couldn't wait to get home and make some hot cocoa.

"Hi Rachel."

Rachel turned at the sound of her name and noticed Stephanie Hanson was standing near an SUV, just a few spaces away. Shiver. UGH. _I'm not supposed to talk to Stephanie. I promised Brittany I wouldn't. I guess saying hello doesn't qualify as a conversation does it?_

"Hello Stephanie." _No don't do it. If you ask her a question that will be a conversation._

Rachel nodded at the girl, smiled slightly and turned back to her own car, only to discover that this day was decidedly wicked.

Damn. Her front tire was flat. Very flat. _Fuck!_ She punched the hood of her car then dug around in her pocket for her phone. She was just about to text Quinn...-

"Something wrong Rachel?" Stephanie wandered over to where Rachel was still muttering under her breath, just in time to interrupt the text she was about to send.

"Ah...yes Stephanie. My front tire is incontrovertibly flat. I was about to call for a ride."

"I can give you a lift Rachel. I live just a couple blocks from you."

_No. No. Say no Rachel. I'm not supposed to talk to her._ She seems perfectly harmless right now. She's smiling kind of shyly at me. Her hands are in her pockets and her shoulders are slack. She isn't all tense or anything.

"I thought you had a Cheerio meeting?"

Stephanie shrugged and smiled again. Her pale gray eyes were kind of strange to meet head on, but she could hardly help it if her eyes were a weird color.

"I do but I'm going to be late. I have to run home for my other uniform and Coach is going to kill me already so... anyway. Like I said Rach. I'd be happy to drop you off. It's on the way for me."

Rach? She called me Rach? No one calls me Rach except for Quinn and Britt and San! _Don't. Don't go with her Rachel. _ What could she possibly do to me? I'll just jump out of her car if she gets weird or anything. Besides, my Polar Bear is watching so Peter will see.

"Okay... um.. Stephanie. If its no trouble. I would really appreciate a ride. That way I won't have to inconvenience Qui.. ah my Daddy."

"No problem Rach." Stephanie walked over to the passenger side of her Toyota Forerunner and unlocked it for the tiny diva. She opened the door and gestured for Rachel. "Hop in Rach, I'll have you home in no time."

"Thank you Stephanie, this is very kind of you."

For someone who is known for being incredibly mean Stephanie is capable of civil behavior, Rachel thought to herself as she climbed into the vehicle and settled herself in by fastening her seat belt. _No. No,no,no,no. Rachel you promised Brittany. You promised Brittany you wouldn't let her talk to you._

Stephanie walked quickly back to the drivers side and turned her face away from Rachel's purview.

And then she smiled. She smiled like a snake.

**To Be Continued.**

_Don't throw stuff. I promise to update by Wednesday if you let me know what's on your mind. Rachel will really appreciate it! :)_

_Thanks so much for continuing to read, review and alert this story._


	22. I'm not Scared

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_It's still Wednesday in my time zone so I'm getting this uploaded at the eleventh hour. It's a little short but I promised you an update. _

**Chapter XXII "I'm not Scared"**

**Jeremy**

Jeremy skipped his afternoon classes and intended on skipping his hockey game as well. He just couldn't allow himself to play after disgracing himself and his team this afternoon. He was the teams Captain, he was supposed to set an example on and off the ice. He needed to make amends before he could feel any pride in himself or his team.

Not really knowing what to do with himself, until school was out, he decided to go across the street and hang out in McDonalds with a cup of coffee. He hoped and prayed that Rachel would talk to him. He considered waiting outside the choir room to catch her coming out of glee but decided that wouldn't be a good idea. Puckerman was on a rampage and creating another scene revolving around the diva was something she would not appreciate.

So, he would wait and watch her car. He could see it very clearly from his window seat. The moment she approached her car he would run over there and apologize. Beg. Whatever he had to do, he would make sure she knew how terribly sorry he was. He would take her clothes to the dry cleaner. He would do her chores at home for her. He would offer to be on her protective guard with Quinn and Santana. He would apologize in front of the whole school. Whatever she wanted he would do, but he had to find out from her first. He didn't want to just assume that she would want any of..-

_WAY INSANE? Did I just see what I thought I saw? Stephanie looney tunes Hanson just slashed Berry's front tire with an ice pick! She is one scary chick. Now what in hell is she up to? Oh, she's going back to her Toyota. Is she gonna tear outta here? Slash and dash? I'll tell Rachel what happened - maybe that will score me some bonus points with her. Of course she could think that I did it, because how can I prove that it was Stephanie? Especially if Hanson takes off. But huh?...it doesn't look like she's going anywhere. She's just sitting in her SUV._

Jeremy didn't like the feeling of doom he had crawling all over his body in the form of goose flesh. He got another cup of coffee, snapped up his letterman jacket and stepped outside. He decided to pull his Chevy Nova around to the front of the McDonalds lot so he could keep a closer eye on Hanson while he waited for Rachel.

_Rachel was going to need a ride home after what that HeadCase did. Maybe she would let him give her a ride. That could be the start of his good intentions, right? _

_Oh, here she comes. She's got her head down and why isn't she wearing a hat? It's too cold outside to go without a hat. And why doesn't she button up her coat? Oh fuck, Hanson just got out of her Toyota. Maybe he should just run over there and tell Rachel what happened right now. That bitch will still have that ice pick somewhere... I'll be able to prove it to Rache...-_

_Oh oh! It looks like 'Nuts Or What' is trying to be nice to Rachel. Whoa! No. No Rachel, don't get in the car with that twisted chick. Fuck. I should run over there...but will Rachel really believe me after what I did to her today? Damn. Maybe I'll just follow them to make sure Hanson doesn't do anything worse to Rachel than I already have. Yeah. I'll follow them. Maybe I can still get a chance to apologize._

Jeremy started his super cool Nova so he was ready to tag along behind the Toyota. _AcK! She's holding that ice pick up to Rachel's throat. Holy Fuck. Jesus. _

He ducked down in his seat so Hanson couldn't see him from across the way. After she pulled out of the schools parking lot he put his own car into drive and followed behind them at a safe distance. _Oh. My. God. _

Jeremy didn't think she could hurt Rachel and drive at the same time but he wanted to make sure he was close by in case she pulled over or something.

**Rachel and Stephanie**

Of course the words, '_that bitch wouldn't hesitate to hack someone up with a meat cleaver_ ' echoed through Rachel's mind when Stephanie made a right turn out of the McKinley parking lot instead of a left. She knew right then that she was in trouble.

"Um... Stephanie, I think you're going in the wrong direction...your house, and _my_ house for that matt-" But before she could finish her sentence Stephanie slammed on the brakes, snatched something from under her seat and was poking it at her neck before she could blink an eye. A poniard. Or, technically it was an ice pick.

"This is a great little tool for slashing tires Berry... throats too, and it would probably work for gouging out eyes... so shut that huge mouth of yours or I'll move this show along a little faster than I intended. You will sit still, you will not move or speak. I swear, if you try and jump out or anything I'll chase you down and gut you in the street."

Rachel believed her. She remembered how persistent Stephanie had been when hunting Giles with a slushie in her hand. She could very easily see her doing exactly as she promised.

The '_I told you so_' she imagined Santana saying was something to look forward to. As a matter of fact, she could not wait for Santana to say those words to her.

Rachel wasn't frightened. She knew she should be, but at this moment all she was trying to do was keep herself from bursting into giggles again. Here she was, chained to a wall like a victim from one of those awful horror movies and all she wanted to do was laugh.

Stephanie couldn't have picked a better location for such atrocities. An abandonded warehouse with no electricity, in the middle of Winter on the outskirts of town. Soon it would be dark and creepy. Well, it was creepy now she had to admit.

The Cheerio seemed much more scary when she was still somewhat of a mystery to Rachel. Everyone said: 'Ooooh, Stephanie is a psycho nut case'. And Rachel knew it was true after watching how demented her behavior toward Giles and Cindy was. But, the idea that Stephanie was _a fledgling serial killer in the making_ was just too silly to be true.

But it _was_ true.

"I want you to be my first Rachel."

And then the freaky girl had smiled shyly and nodded at Rachel as if they were going to become lovers. UGH. She had just finished clasping Rachel's wrists into shackles that were attached to a wall with heavy chains.

"First what?" Rachel panicked thinking this was really kinky. Was Stephanie into bondage sex or something? But, the '_something_' turned out to be a lot worse.

"My first kill."

Rachel snorted, then started to laugh out loud. _Inappropriate much?_

Stephanie wasn't amused. She leaned forward shoving Rachel back against the wall until the chains upon her wrists were rattling. The Cheerio didn't really know what to do. She hadn't expected laughter. She fed off of fear. But Rachel wasn't afraid. _This isn't any fun if she isn't going to be afraid._

"Stop _laughing_. THIS _ISN'T_ FUNNY!"

Chortle, snicker, snort. Hiccough.

" SHUT UP!..you... YOU _BIG_ _STUPIDHEAD_!"

Peals of laughter.

Rachel couldn't help it. She was having one of those moments when the emotion you're expressing is the exact opposite of the one you're feeling. Her laughter was a moment away from reaching hysteria.

The Cheerio was turning purple with rage and still Rachel laughed.

Stephanie was seeing spots, she forced herself to turn around to resist the temptation of just _getting on with it_. That would show Berry how _ha ha_ funny everything was. But she couldn't right now, she didn't have the time. She had to get back before someone got suspicious. _White light. White light. Breathe - inhale, exhale. Calm down. Calmer now. Okay you can talk now._

"I would _do you_ right now Rachel." Stephanie sneered over her shoulder - still unwilling to look at the tiny diva. "But I have to get back to the Cheerio's. I've already missed most of the meeting but I still have to make an appearance or Fabray and Lopez will start to wonder. I'll be back later, after the game... and then we can have some fun. We'll see how funny you think this is then."

Oh My God. Rachel finally managed to stifle her giggles by focusing on what Stephanie had said a moment earlier. She thought if she tried to talk with her a bit, make it seem like a normal conversation - maybe she could make her realize how insane this all was.

"Why me Stephanie? Why do you want me to be your ah... '_first_'?"

Several things had come together for her. Firstly, Peter will have, hopefully by now - called the police; or Quinn, or her Daddy's, or all of he above. He would have seen at least some of what was happening and Rachel was certain she aimed her sweater at Stephanie's front license plate just before she got into her vehicle.

Secondly, Stephanie did not intend to '_do_ _her ' _now. Which was a big WHEW! She had almost blurted out the truth about her sweater and her "camera eyes" to hold Stephanie at bay. But now, she had the time to hold that play in reserve if she needed it later. If the maladapted girl was going to return to the Cheerio meeting, and later attend the game - the chances of a rescue were promising.

Stephanie's back was still turned to the little diva. She was organizing her _toys_ upon a work bench that she dragged in from the larger room. They were in an old flooring warehouse. The main room was a huge open space with high ceilings. It was filled with big work benches, scattered wood scraps and dusty old power tools.

The office was in the back corner; its frame was regular wood but the walls were made plexi-glass so you could see into the now abandoned workspace. Stephanie chose the little office as her site because it was more intimate and also easier to keep warm than the big room would have been. She didn't want Rachel to freeze to death before she got the chance to play with her. She rigged an old car battery up to a tiny space heater and set it up on a chair a few feet out of Rachel's range of motion.

"I picked you Rachel because Quinn and Santana tossed you aside. Really, you're the biggest prize the school has to offer. You were always off limits to me because of Fabray and Lopez, but ever since the Skunker started threatening everyone, the rules got changed. I figured, if I can be kidnapped on school grounds, and drugged, and blackmailed - then why not do the same to someone else?"

"So... in a nutshell Rachel," And Stephanie turned to face her again. Those pale gray eyes were gleaming with a predatory malice. "I picked you because it will draw a lot of attention. I'll get to test my wings and Quinn Fabray will get the blame. It's all so simple."

"I see." Rachel softly acknowledged that chilling statement before choosing to stare at the floor. She didn't want to look into those eyes. She didn't want to talk to Stephanie anymore. She wanted her to leave so Peter could come and rescue her.

There was a rusty old skill saw blade on the floor. The little hairs on the nape of Rachel's neck took notice. She was thankful she had refrained from watching SAW - for surely she would be screaming now instead of asking curious questions...or laughing inappropriately.

**Peter**

Peter wandered into his cluttered office, which was a tiny room adjoining his much larger workshop. He needed more coffee and decided to take a peek at Rachel's day. He monitored the visuals from her animal sweater about three times a day if he was working in his shop. It became a habit of a sort that he was oddly addicted to. The students had no idea they were being recorded and were therefore completely uninhibited in their behavior.

Most of them were normal awkward, adolescent kids with problems that seemed larger than life, and so they acted as though the world would end on a daily basis. Peter found it interesting to watch their varied reactions without the benefit of sound. It was all so dramatic and intense and often times very funny. Other times it was almost unbearably sad.

He clicked in the commands to view the cameras in Rachel's lab and also the view from the nano lenses attached to her sweater.

What in Holy Heavens?

Standing, what could only be two feet away from Rachel was that teenage monster Stephanie Hanson. Peter was well acquainted with the girl from watching her perform in many of the live feeds that Rachel used for her films.

Oh My God. What was going on? The girl was right up in Rachel's face. They appeared to be in some kind of poorly lit room. He couldn't see Rachel of course, only glimpses now and then of her feet, or knees if she happened to bend over, or her hands if she reached out or pointed at something. Rachel was, for all intents and purposes, when she wore her animal sweaters - the tripod for the 'camera eyes'.

She seemed to be moving a lot, like she was squirming. Wait. She rotated slightly to the left. Holy fuck. She was chained up. Her left wrist was held in a thick metal cuff that was chained to a wall. Jeeeesusss! He grabbed his phone and punched a name he knew he could rely upon; Ricky, or better known around town as Sheriff.

**To Be Continued**

_Hopefully, for those of you who are worrying about Rachel, this will ease your mind a little to know that help is on the way. She isn't safe yet, however. I won't drag this out past the next chapter, which will be up this weekend and much longer. By then I will tie some loose ends together and move back into the humor and romance. _

_It was my intent to end Act I, and Act II of Rachel's play with a little drama to balance out the humor and the fluff. I know some of you were disappointed by this dark twist but I hope you continue to read along because I promise you the fun is on the way. _

_Thanks to those of you who continue to read, review and alert this story. :) _


	23. The Sting

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Okay... so this is a little roller coaster ride of tense and suspense, a little funny, more tense, scary... and you know... but don't worry...it will all turn out right... you'll see._

**Chapter XXIII "The Sting."**

He left his car on the old Quarry road and begged the heavens for it not to snow. Following the Toyota had been easy enough while going through Lima but once Stephanie turned off onto Rt. 44 he had to ease back a bit so the scary bitch wouldn't glimpse him in her rear view mirror.

He bent over for just a moment, a bloody second to grab his c.d. folder and that was all it took for the Cheerio's Toyota to disappear. Fuck! He kept going because there was only one road to drive upon so he concluded she must have turned off at the Floorworks. If he drove down that road right behind Stephanie - she would know she had been followed. She might get desperate enough to go immediately after Rachel with that ice pick and he didn't want to push the crazy girl into hurting Rachel prematurely.

During the ten minute drive he deduced that Rachel was in real, perilous danger. Hanson _was_ _fuckin' nutzz_. The simple fact of this abandoned location was enough for him to imagine the worst scenario. If he was right about his suspicions, Stephanie was going to play at torture for awhile before she...well, before she did something _really_ bad. He prayed that he was right because that would give him time to intervene.

He decided to take the next right at the Quarry road and run across the field so he could come up on the warehouse from behind. Stephanie wouldn't see him and, hopefully, he would get to her before she did anything _permanent _to Rachel.

Jeremy ran. As fast as he could near the edge of the field that bordered some scraggly trees. The sun wouldn't set for a couple of hours so he left his letterman in the car. That bright Red color against the backdrop of White snow and the Gray trunks of the Poplar trees would stand out like a beacon. He wasn't cold anyway; the run was keeping him warm, he was wearing an ash colored hoodie and the adrenaline rush was pumping him full of fire and energy.

He knew the Floorworks well. It had been his playground for the past couple of years. He and Jared, Gary, Az and Mickey had come out here often to party. The place was off limits and condemned but that didn't stop the boys from breaking in to have a safe place to drink and not get caught by their parents or the cops. They had always cleaned up after themselves so as not to draw any attention to the place. It was _their _hideaway and so he had a little hope.

Hope that the door to the curing room was still unlatched. That long narrow room had been used to dry the green planks of wood. It was juxtaposed to the larger warehouse and had access through a little adjoining hallway. Stephanie might know about the hallway but wouldn't probably care if she had Rachel in the main room. She wouldn't know that anyone had followed her, and so she wouldn't hear when Jeremy snuck in through that little corridor to stop her.

...

**Glee Pee**

Puck was disappointed that Miller was a no show for the game. He knew the little piss ant was too big of a coward to stand up and take his punishment like a _man_. The asswipe couldn't hide forever and Puck could be patient when he needed to be. No matter, he would have his fun with Gary _beavis, _Jared _butthead _and the rest of the hockey goons. Those two had been particularly malicious with the slushies and the whole team had cheered them on.

None of the gleeks had been present when that little show went down but Giles had witnessed the whole ugly scene. He ran into the lunch room with tears on his face and a panicked expression that had caught Tina's attention. She pulled him aside and he whispered what had happened to Rachel.

The Unholy Trinity were going to set the stage at the game for the glee club. He knew the 'plan' was_ way_ gross and not classy at all like Rachel's schemes had been. But hell, this was a shoot from the hip sort of Operation and he didn't really care too much about finesse. As long as they got their message across he would consider it a job well done.

_Two hours earlier._

_"Really Puck? Seriously man?" Sam Evans was holding out a crumpled Yellow balloon, clasping it between his thumb and index finger. It dangled limply from his fingers as though it, too, was embarrassed by Puck's notion. _

_"Duh! Yeah! Now drink up we don't have much time." Sam, Puck, Artie, Mike and shockingly Kurt, were all huddled together in the old equipment room behind the gym. They were guzzling down gallons of water in an effort to produce copious amount of urine. _

_Pee. _

_With a capitol P which stands for Pool and rhymes with fool. Somehow the word trouble with a capitol T was supposed to find its way into that mix. But then again they were in Lima, not River City so the trouble they were about to find was all of Puck's doing._

_"Just piss into the balloon and stop whining Evans. We'll dilute it a little bit with water if we can't fill them all up." _

_Tina eased the door open and entered the room with big eyes. Mercedes and Lauren were right behind her. _

_"Oh my God, I thought I was imagining what I heard outside the door but you guys are really in here peeing. Peeing into balloons?"_

_"Eeek!" Kurt screamed from behind the basketball stand, he zipped up his pants and squealed as he spilled the contents of his balloon onto his Armani boots. He didn't want the other boys to see him performing such an uncouth act so he hid himself behind the wrack of basketballs. They were thankful that the boy was overly modest. Not that any of them minded that Kurt was gay or anything. It was just... um... weird for all of them. _

_The boys were in varied stages of filling up their ammo when the girls decided to crash their party. They frantically tucked and zipped and cursed simultaneously - all the while trying not to spill their precious supply of liquid gold. Lauren Zizes stepped forward and glared at the five boys who had suddenly become very quiet. _

_"Am I to understand this correctly? You morons are going to bomb the hockey team with Golden Showers? Glee Pee?"_

_They all nodded with varying amounts of enthusiasm. Kurt was surprisingly excited by the prospect and he wore a silly grin while blushing with equal amounts embarrassment and anticipation of participating in such and untoward event._

_"Gimme a balloon and some of that water." Lauren snapped at Puck. "Go get some funnels from the kitchen Chang" She pointed at the door to get the flustered goth girl moving while at the same timed she turned to face Mercedes, who was visibly aghast. _

_She was staring at Kurt with disillusion in her eyes. Her 'besty' was hiding behind the basketballs struggling to tie off a very full pink balloon and muttering under his breath about breaking into Ms. Pillsbury's office to steal her disinfectant spray._

_"Start chugging Wheezy, we've got to fill up all of these balloons before the game. That means we've only got two hours to accomplish this task." Lauren nudged Mercedes in the ribs with a well placed elbow to get her attention back on what was important._

_"Excuse me?" Mercedes gaped at the all star wrestler. "Hell to the no... I ain't peeing in no ballo..-" But her refusal was cut short when Lauren shoved a gallon jug of water into her stomach. "Ooof."_

_"Start chugging Choc..o..late, this isn't a democracy. This is glee. Our Captain was treated very badly and we ain't gonna take that crap anymore. We're gonna fill every one of these balloons with glee pee. Then we're going to that game and tossing the place but good. You got me Princess?" She finished her pep talk by waving her finger in front of Mercedes nose and inching slowly into the diva's personal space. _

_Mercedes wanted to take the wrestler down. She knew Lauren could pulverize her into cosmic dust - but dammit! She did not like being told what to do! However, Zizes was right in this instance. The glee club wasn't gonna take it no more! _

_"I've decided that I would like the Red balloons if there are any left. " She smiled at Lauren while gritting her teeth before snatching up the Red balloons that Puck was offering to her. _

_Tina scurried out the door to follow Lauren's instructions. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Of course she wanted to participate but she didn't think she would be able to Pee On Demand. Too much pressure! She also wasn't keen on peeing into a funnel, nor was she going to do it in that stinky old equipment room - Kurt had already claimed the best hiding space. She would take the water, and her balloons... and the funnel into the girls bathroom. Ew...just ...er..gross._

Puck chuckled at the memory of their pre-Op preparations and couldn't wait to share the details with Rachel. She would rant and rave and stomp her little foot. He shook his head to get himself back in the present moment. The hockey game had started and so had _"Operation Glee Pee."_

The Cheerios were in their usual space right behind the players benches and the glee club positioned themselves directly behind them. A strange understanding had spread among the two groups, thanks to the leadership of Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce.

The Cheerleaders were doing their thing. Chanting the typical "Fire- Up!" cheers to the fans, and spelling out odd words one letter at a time expecting the crowd to echo their sentiments.

"Give me a T... "_T" was the resounding response. _Give me an I... "_I"_...Give me a T. "_T"_. Give me an A... "_A" _Give me a N... "_N" _Give me a S... "_S" _

Except the glee club was shouting over everyone. They were spelling out G L E E P E E. Every single time. Tina snorted and giggled as she watched some of the fans finally catch on to what they were chanting. She could hear Jared Paulson's mother asking his little sister what Gleepee meant? The little girl just shrugged her shoulders and stood up to join the cheer.

She screamed at the top of her lungs,

**"GLEEPEE"**

It wasn't long before the whole crowd was cheering, "GLEEPEE." in support of their team. No one seemed to mind. If their Champion Cheerio's thought it was a good idea to yell GLEEPEE, who were they to challenge them?

Other than the strange odd Cheer that seemed to have everyone so hyped up, albeit perplexed as well, the game was very exciting. It was the third period and the score was tied at 2 and 2. There was seven minutes left when Puck nodded at Quinn and Santana. The two girls made their way to the booth at the top of the arena where the game was being announced. Brad, their piano guy, was very near by playing the organ music which accompanied the game. Quinn sauntered over to talk with Brad while Santana entered the MC's booth.

The gleeks reached underneath their seats to ready their buckets full of ammo. Each of them had carried two giant tubs of popcorn into the game. Underneath the fluffy, buttery treats lay their precious munitions.

The referee had blown his whistle on a blue line violation and both teams prepared themselves to face off. He was getting ready to drop the puck but was interrupted by a shrill sound that blared throughout the arena through the MC's microphone.

"Testing. Testing. Uno, Dos, Tres." The warm, soothing, sexy tones of Santana Lopez's voice carried throughout the ice arena. The ref looked up into the booth to see the Cheerio wave and smile at him. She pointed at the mike, letting him know she was going to make an announcement.

Brad played the famous, ominous chords which were universally known by all.

Dun..dun. Dun...dun. Dun..dun. ...a shark is in the water.

"I have an announcement to make which concerns our McKinley hockey team, whom we are all so very _proud _of. Would the Carmel team please take your seats at your own bench while we make this presentation?

The spectators were mumbling and fidgeting. This was a very strange interruption to have in the middle of such an exciting game. What could possibly be that important to stop the players now? Grumbles and complaints could be heard throughout the arena.

As the Carmel team skated away there was a bit of a stir on the McKinley side as Mr. Simmons decided this was just too stupid for words.

"Who the hell authorized this _friggin_ interruption in the middle of the third period?" He shouted. "They can wait until the game is over for their...-" But Simmons was cut off in mid rant as Sue Sylvester grabbed him by his suit coat and dragged him away from his team. She whispered into his ear.

"Harry, if you value that snappy suit you are wearing you will step away from your bench. I authorized this little presentation and when it's all over you can take up your issues with me. Now, I can't say I endorse what's about to happen but I will not interfere... and neither will you."

With that said, Coach Sylvester and Harry Simmons stepped away from McKinley's bench.

"Will the whole McKinley team please step onto the ice so you can claim your _Award_."

Many of the boys were smiling and laughing, some of them were making crude, suggestive comments about the fiery Latina who was announcing the surprise presentation.

"It's important for you all to know what fine young gentlemen we have on our hockey team this year." All of the hockey players stood taller on their skates and puffed out their chests - only to hang their heads in shame a moment later with the completion of Santana's statement.

"Therefore, it is my pleasure to inform you of what they accomplished at school this afternoon. Jeremy Miller, the teams Captain, Jared Paulson and Gary Todd assaulted the Captain of the glee club in the hallway. Rachel Berry is a small girl; five foot two - a very kind and gentle person. She is a tiny girl with a great big talent for song and a large and generous heart."

"These three big hockey players attacked this gentle girl who was simply standing at her locker preparing for class. The boys who assaulted Ms. Berry were encouraged and cheered on by every member of this fine, outstanding team. We have this incident on film and will be turning it over to the Police..."

Santana allowed this statement to echo through the arena for a moment. The crowd had gone completely silent, wanting to know what else she might say. That pause was definitely pregnant with potential.

"Unless"... She continued. "These fine young men will be willing to stand still... and accept their just reward?" It took a moment for them to comprehend what she was suggesting, but most of the boys on the team were nodding their heads in agreement with the deal she just offered.

"Alright then," Santana continued, "It is my pleasure, and the pleasure of the glee club to present the McKinley hockey team with..." Santana nodded at Brad and he played the Jaws music again.

Dun..dun. Dun...dun. Dun..dun. Dun..dun..dun..dun...

_"Glee Pee!_" Santana purred into the microphone.

The first salvo was thrown by Kurt. He threw like a girl but managed to hit Gary Todd squarely in the center of his Titans Jersey. After that first shocking Yellow splash spread upon the White of a home team Jersey; all hell broke loose.

"**GLEE PEE!**" was screamed in unison by the rest of the gleeks as they hurled their urine grenades.

The hockey team was pummeled with Red, Blue, Pink, Purple, Orange and Green balloons that splattered the moment they hit their targets. The boys were stained in Yellow as was the ice beneath them.

The crowd was in shock as they watched their team get pelted with pee. But some of the spectators were finally catching up with what Santana Lopez had announced before the spectacle ensued. The information was slowly sinking in - what the boys had done to Rachel Berry. Suddenly, half the stadium had joined in with the shouting.

"**Glee Pee!**" "**GLEE PEE!**" "**Glee Pee!**" "**GLEE PEE!**"

Some of the players decided they couldn't take their punishment after all and tried to skate away. But Puck, Sam and Mike had spread themselves out and were lobbing the ample balloons very accurately, creating dramatic splats upon the players backs.

"**Glee Pee!**" "**GLEE PEE!**" "**Glee Pee!**" "**Glee Pee!**"

The crowd shouted and stamped their feet with each direct hit. They collectively moaned a sad, "Awwwww " with each near miss. The Carmel team was hanging over the boards, clacking their sticks upon the ice and laughing hysterically.

Jared Paulson's little sister turned to her mother and whispered, "They were saying Glee Pee, not Gleepee." And then she got up to cheer with the rest of the crowd. "_**GLEE PEE!**_"

The Cheerios started their Cheer again. "Give me a G... "_G" _

The game remained tied at 2 and 2.

...

Rachel, Jeremy, Peter and Sheriff Ricky.

Jeremy watched from his hiding spot in the corridor off the curing room. Stephanie had Rachel chained to the wall in the glass office. They were talking for the moment so he decided not to barge in until it looked as though the Cheerio was going to strike. The moment that bitch raised her hand to Rachel he would be all over it. For now he wanted to watch and listen. The chains made him think that Stephanie had a long term plan.

The door to the office was open and he could just barely hear their conversation. Rachel was laughing at something Stephanie said. Oh. oh. Stephanie looks pissed off.

_"I would_ _do you_ right _now Rachel. But I have to get back to the Cheerio's. I've already missed most of the meeting but I still have to make an appearance or Fabray and Lopez will start to wonder. I'll be back later, after the game... and then we can have some fun. We'll see how funny you think this is then_."

_Yes!_ Jeremy silently cheered. _The crazy bitch was going to leave! _All he had to do now was stay calm until he heard her pull away in her car. And then he could get Rachel the hell out of here. He watched as Rachel stopped engaging with the Cheerio. She stared at the floor refusing to acknowledge the girl anymore.

Stephanie didn't like being ignored. She stepped into Rachel's space again and forced her to look up. She cupped her chin within one hand and leaned in to kiss her. Rachel didn't return the kiss, she stood there passively, not responding. It was almost a tender gesture until Stephanie started laughing and it got worse with what she said.

"Your girlfriend Santana is going to be _so_ jealous Rachel. I can't wait until I can tell her that you kissed me." She laughed again and started to leave but not before Rachel got the last word in.

"Santana isn't the one you need to worry about Stephanie. You think you're _so scary_ and _badass_, but you don't hold a candle to Quinn. You never will. She will clean the floor up with you - then hang you out to dry."

_Oh God Rachel. You always have to run your mouth. She was going to leave dammit! _Jeremy was so frustrated and on edge.

Stephanie walked back over to Rachel and slapped her across the face. Hard. Jeremy was just about to jump into the room but waited again as Stephanie tersely responded.

"Now Quinn will really have something to be angry about Rachel. Too bad that you'll be dead and she'll be rotting in jail when she finds out that you're a _slut_ who had to be put in her place." And with that said, Stephanie marched out of the plexi-glass office. She pulled on her coat and stormed out into the chilly afternoon, leaving Rachel with her mouth hanging open without a final retort.

_Thank God!_ Not that Jeremy was glad that Rachel got bitch slapped but _Thank God she didn't mouth off again_. Christ, his heart couldn't take any more of this crap. _Was that the Witch's car starting? Yes! Whew! Just another minute Rachel and I'll come and let you go._

Some little time later.

Jeremy and Rachel were unable to get the cuffs off of Rachel's wrists. Stephanie had taken the keys with her and he was unable to pick the locks with the scraps of wire he found lying on the floor. He didn't have his cell phone because he had forgotten it in his locker when he fled the school that afternoon. Rachel's phone was in Stephanies Toyota so they were stuck with a dilemma. _They had to get her out of these cuffs before that Witch came back. But if they couldn't get them open soon he would have to go for help. Or, he could just risk it and hope that he could handle Hanson on his own...but..._-

"**Hold it right there young man." **And Jeremy froze at the sound of a voice of authority. He turned around to see the Sheriff pointing a very large rifle at his head. Behind him stood a stocky man with bright blue eyes. He was carrying a pistol and wearing a glare that could freeze the fires of hell.

"No!" Rachel shouted, "Put your rifle away Uncle Ricky. _Peter,_ put your pistol away! (Stomp) Jeremy is trying to rescue me."

The hockey player started to giggle. "Trying," was the operative word in that statement. Leave it to Rachel Berry, locked in chains and still able to use as little tact as possible. Her hero was a bumbling fool!

Snort. Laughter...

...

**Stephanie and Rachel**

Rachel could see the headlights shine brightly through the grime of the windows in the larger room. Sigh. The bitch is back. The whole place was pitch black except for the red hot glow from the coils on the little space heater that Stephanie had rigged to keep her warm.

She had made Rachel take off her pea coat because it would interfere with her 'work' as she chose to call what she was about embark upon. Rachel wasn't delusional enough to think the heater was a thoughtful gesture. No. Stephanie wanted a warm body to play with when she retuned from the hockey game. UGH.

The door to the main room scraped open and Rachel was met with a bobbing halo of bluish light; it cast a freakish glow upon the Cheerio as she made her way through the darkened warehouse to the little glass office in the back. Upon entering the room, she pointed the flashlight in Rachel's face, at the shackles, then propped it on the work bench next to her '_implements._' She dug into her Cheerio duffle, which she had plopped upon a chair. Stephanie chuckled as she pulled out two fat candles.

"Those gleeks of yours are real freaks Rachel."

That was said while she lit the candles and placed one on each end of the work bench. The room glowed warmly with the soft flames of the candles, which were cinnamon scented unfortunately. Rachel would never be able to enjoy that scent again.

"And you are one to talk!"

Rachel sniped at the frustrating girl. She knew she should hold her tongue but she couldn't help herself. If she had no other way to defend herself she would do it with her words. Or so she wanted it to seem.

Stephanie laughed again. She was enjoying herself now and could relax. She had the whole evening in front of her so she could allow Berry a little moment of pique.

"I'll agree with you on that Berry. Most people would find me insane, or even evil, and well, I guess I can live with freaky too. But, Oh my God! What your little band of singing losers did tonight at the hockey game...it was just soooooo _Sick_. And I mean _Sick_ like in freaky cool. Gross though, but _way Sick._

_What was stephanie talking about?_ _What did she mean?_ She knew that Puck and her fellow gleeks intended to heckle the hockey team tonight but Stephanie had made it sound like something else had happened. She knew the evil girl was baiting her but her curiosity would not be denied.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean the glee club was _Sick?_"

Stephanie burst into all out laughter at Rachel's predictability and well, dorkiness.

"Harumph!" (Stomp)

"God Berry, you are such a dork. Really? Seriously? I meant _cool_ when I said they did something _Sick. _It was kinda gross though..."

"What-_fucking-_ever! Just tell me what happened already!" Rachel snapped, she was losing her patience and understood how stupid it would be to set the Cheerio off, but she couldn't stand not knowing what Puck and the glee club had done. She was fairly certain that Quinn and Santana played a part as well. The suspense was _killing_ her. (_No pun intended.)_

Stephanie was enjoying how unglued Rachel was becoming. She should have taunted her about the glee club earlier. Up until now the little diva hadn't even acted afraid. But, besmirch her little singing club and boy the girl got all twisted and mad. She could use that knowledge now - for the rest of the evening, while she had her _fun_.

"Those losers filled up at least a hundred balloons with their own PEE! Santana Lopez hijacked the announcers booth and told the whole arena what Jeremy, Gary and Jared did at school today. Then the whole glee club slaughtered the hockey team with PEE balloons while the entire crowd was cheering 'GLEE PEE!,GLEE PEE!' "

"It was soooo epic. Oh My God! What a bunch of freaks!" And Stephanie burst into laughter again at the look upon Rachel's face.

"They did no such thing!" Rachel denied, but in the back of her mind she knew it was true. The entire recipe for disaster had the flavor of Puck written all over it, along with a pinch of Santana's spice.

"Um. Yeah they did. I'm sorry you didn't get to see it Berry you would have been proud of your little freaks. You can thank me for the whole show because none of it would have happened if I hadn't set the whole thing in motion."

_This was good._ Rachel thought. _She's going to start bragging and that's what I want, what I need for her to do._

"How exactly, can you claim credit for what the glee club accomplished at the hockey game?"

"Because I got Azimo to nag Miller into the slushie attack. I wanted Fabray and Lopez off my back tonight. I thought if they were focused on Jeremy Miller and the hockey jocks they wouldn't notice me so much. I played them all Rachel. I did all of that just so you and I could spend some time together."

Rachel's spine went stiff with the honey tone that Stephanie's voice had turned. She was flirting with Rachel just to get a rise out of her.

"I think I'd make a much better girlfriend for you than Quinn Fabray Rachel. She isn't even nice to you at school." Then, like the flip of a switch; that flirting, laughing girl who enjoyed the prank on the hockey team turned back into a vicious predator.

"Oh. But I forgot." Her voice was laced with malice. "You won't be going back to school now, will you Rachel?"

"And Quinn Fabray will be going to Juvie until she turns eighteen. Later, she will be headed to the Big House. Because what I plan to do with you tonight Rachel will be legendary. Quinn Fabray will never see the light of day...after what she is convicted of doing to Rachel Berry."

Rachel tensed up. She could see in Stephanie's eyes that she was getting ready to strike. She needed to stall her for just another minute. One more minute.

"You keep talking around it Stephanie. Why don't you just tell me plain and clear what you intend to do? Say it out loud for once. You sound like one of the bully boys as school, thumping your chest and strutting around, but you can never say the words... because saying the words will make them real Stephanie."

Rachel was getting wound up. She could tell her taunts were scoring points, she just hoped that Stephanie didn't flip out before she spoke her intentions out loud.

"Guess what Stephanie? When you make your intentions real you will have to follow through with them. I think you're just a big coward." Rachel paused for a moment, watching the girl get more and more agitated but decided she would just go for the gold.

"_**Look at me you BITCH! You tell me what you are going to do to me!"**_

Stephanie was seeing spots! For the first time in her life she didn't have to control her rage. She could let it all out now, right now with Rachel Berry and she had all night long to slake its thirst.

She folded her arms across her chest to hold it back just a little. She stepped in close so she was face to face with the tiny diva. She would give Rachel the answer she deserved...then she could let it all go...let her demons loose.

...

**Quinn.**

Quinn stood still as a statue clenching her fists. She watched as Stephanie Hanson hovered over her girlfriend like a giant viper dripping with venom.

They were in a "tech" van off the old Quarry road.

She, Santana and Britt had been approached by Minnie Sparkle the Deputy Sheriff (yes that's really her name) after the hockey game. Minnie very politely informed them:

"You girls need to come with me." She held up her hand to stifle any protests before continuing. "You aren't in any trouble. Your friend Rachel needs your help and I've come to escort you to her." She held up her hand again to ward them off. "That's all I'm allowed to tell you so _stuff it_! Get in the car and lets go."

The three Cheerios, Hiram and Leroy Berry, Peter, Jeremy Miller and Deputy Sparkle watched the live feed as Rachel pushed the very unstable Teenage Monster into confessing her crimes and intentions.

Sheriff Ricky Berry, who was Hiram's brother, explained it to them all before he left them in the van with Deputy Sparkle.

"You have to understand that with juvenile offenders we need a lot of proof. Unless we can get that _Sick Child_ to say exactly what she intends to do to Rachel; all we'll be able to prove is that she kidnapped her. With a good lawyer, she could be out on the streets in three months time - or less. A good lawyer will play it off as just another practical joke gone a little too far. "

Ricky paused to let them process what he was saying. He was a big man like Hiram, not as tall but every bit as intimidating. He made eye contact with each of the Cheerios to let them know how very serious this situation was.

"Rachel is my niece and I love her like she was my very own. I would not put her at risk. I promise Quinn."

He singled out Quinn because he knew she was the most on edge. Hiram and Leroy had already been given two hours to accept what was going to happen but Quinn was getting everything at high speed.

"That Swat team will be all over it the second Stephanie raises a hand to her. The chains are no longer anchored to the wall properly so Rachel will be able to move away when the Swat team moves in. There is no risk for Rachel, I'll stake my own life on that Quinn. She's the one who insisted we go through with this."

"It's true." Jeremy quipped, but then backed up and shut his mouth. The Unholy Trinity was scaring the piss out of him. _Fuck! They were scarier than Hanson. Cheerios were insane. He was never, ever, ever going to date a Cheerio._

All three girls had pinned him with a glare that could wilt a mountain. Ugh. _This was turning out to be a very long day._

Quinn's attention was brought back to the video as Stephanie began to finally speak.

_"I'm going to cut you into little pieces Berry. I'll start with your fingers and toes and continue through the night until there is nothing left to amputate but your head."_

Quinn almost passed out on the spot with Stephanie's chilling words. She could hardly stand to listen to this much less watch it. She knew the Swat guys were right there. The whole place was in darkness except for Stephanie's candles. But, still, to see Rachel chained up like that. To know that she had been taken right from school. To have to listen to that vile animal, that "it" as Brittany had chosen to name Stephanie; was almost to painful for Quinn to bear. She felt Brittany's arm encircle her shoulder and give it a squeeze. She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue watching.

This was so surreal but she would not take her eyes away from Rachel. If Rachel was brave enough to stand there in the same room with that Bitch, after everything else she endured today, than Quinn would be brave enough to witness.

_"So...you're going to kill me?" _

Rachel asked, her voice was so soft and filled with incredible sadness. As though a part of her didn't really believe that Stephanie meant it. As though, even in this last moment, she truly believed that Stephanie would say it was just a funny joke. It broke Quinn's heart to see her girlfriend's disappointment. To watch those sad brown eyes and the giant tears as they trickled slowly in streams upon Rachel's beautiful face.

_"Yes Rachel. I am going to kill you."_ She bent over the tiny diva and planted a tender kiss upon her tearful cheek.

Quinn hissed out loud. Santana cursed, and Brittany growled low in her throat.

"That's what we needed! There's our confession." Minnie Sparkle whispered in awe, as they watched the Swat team take Stephanie Hanson down.

**TO Be Continued.**

_Okay, so whew! I hope you are as relieved as I am that Stephanie is going for a permanent trip to someplace with bars and fancy striped pajama's. I'm sorry to put you through the cliffhangers. I'll tie up this mess in the next chapter and move the plot along. Lots of lovey Faberry in the next chapter. Hope you stick around to see what happens._

_I would really love to have your feedback. Good or bad I always appreciate your thoughts and heed the advice of those of you who are kind enough to give it. Thanks so much for continuing to read, review, and alert this story._

_Remember; Interest in this story = reviews = faster updates! :)_


	24. Taming the Lion

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Thank you all for reviewing. I tried my best to get this up sooner. This is a quick wrap up of the crime scene and some much needed alone time with Quinn and Rachel. _

**Chapter XXIV "Taming the Lion"**

It was done so quickly and smoothly she really couldn't process what was happening. She bent over to give Rachel a farewell kiss. She thought that was a nice gesture. No need to be mean about _everything_ after all. Suddenly her arms were held tight, twisted behind her back and then: _snap, snap, click click_. _SCREAM! _ In the span of fifteen seconds the greatest high of her life, the fulfillment of a longtime dream, that blissful, jubilant power that encompassed her entire being came crashing down upon her fragile psyche.

Stephanie was seeing spots! _Again._

_**"Whaa? No, NO! aaaaaakkk... get awy... get off me...I want my mommy. I WANT MY MOMMY!...aaaaaa...i w**__ant..my...mommy."_

Stephanie Hanson lost all of her bluster the moment the handcuffs upon her wrists clicked into place. After screaming about her Mommy, she flopped around kicking and shrieking unintelligibly. But they finally dragged her out of that little plexi-glass office into the larger room of the old Floorworks. She was forced to take a seat at one of the old workbenches near the back corner, which was far away from Rachel. Her chaperones were two large, burly men from the Swat Team.

Sherrif Ricky Berry insisted Stephanie not be questioned or spoken to under any circumstances. He recited her Miranda rights, making it clear that she would get her Mommy and a lawyer once they returned to the local headquarters.

This was going to be a fucking mess and he did not look forward to the fallout from this extremely disturbing arrest of a fifteen year old psychopath. But, for the moment, now that the creature was secure, his niece's needs were more important.

The Swat Team came prepared with a small generator, they rigged up several spot lights throughout the warehouse so the investigative team could do their job. The EMT's were on standby at the old Quarry Road, waiting with Hiram, Leroy and the Cheerio's.

Sigh.

The Sheriff knew he should put Stephanie in a squad car immediately and get her locked away at headquarters, but the part of him that was an Uncle and a brother, was acting unprofessional. He was doing everything by the book but choosing to take his time about it. He wanted Hiram, Leroy _and_ Quinn to see the girl in real life. In real life with chains on. He wanted that to be the last thing in their mind before they hauled her away. Not the visual of that awful, chilling confession that Rachel had wrung from the girl.

Those horrible things that Stephanie had said would be impossible to forget but the memory would be dampened by the realty of her capture. He wanted them to see her reduced and powerless. He would not let them talk to her. He would not let her talk to them. They only needed to see her, sitting on the bench in chains, crying and defeated.

Rachel was in the company of Gillian Monroe, the Captain of this local Swat Team and a very competent officer. He could see through the plexi-glass that Gillian had just finished removing the other cuff off Rachel's wrist and was wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. It was time for him to get this show on the road, he pulled out his cell phone to call his Deputy.

Deputy Minnie Sparkle drove Hiram, Leroy, and the three Cheerleaders over to the crime scene once she got the all clear. Jeremy was left with Peter at the tech van. He and Peter would be driving into headquarters to give a formal statement. The boy had started to object until Quinn arched an eyebrow at him. That was all it took for him to clamp his mouth shut. Minnie wanted to ask Quinn how she did that? - quite a useful skill to have, especially in her line of work. She snickered with the idea of being able to shut down a whole room full of childish men with the quirk of an eyebrow.

Minnie knew what Ricky was up to and didn't begrudge him this indulgence. She was going to have to lay down the law with these Cheerleaders, however. They had 'unpredictable' written all over their faces and she didn't want the case compromised.

"All right..._hey __**Stop!**_" She managed to shout the word, and lock the doors of the squad car before the Cheerios could escape. "If I let you go in there you will not speak to Ms. Hanson. You will go to Rachel and offer her your comfort. If you attempt to approach Ms. Hanson or speak to her you will damage this investigation. Do you understand me Quinn? Santana? Brittany? The girls nodded uncertainly at her but Quinn wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I will have a verbal acknowledgment before I let you out of this car! I repeat. I do not want this investigation compromised. You are here to comfort Rachel. But only if I have your word that you will not cause any trouble. Please don't disappoint me, but more importantly please don't jeopardize what Rachel sacrificed so much to accomplish...please don't let your friend down by behaving impulsively and foolishly. Do you understand my conditions?

"Yes, Deputy. Please, just let us go see Rachel now?" Quinn pleaded while Hiram and Leroy were visibly holding their breath. They were desperate to see their baby girl and the soft hearted Deputy didn't want to be the cause of any more angst for them.

"Okay then, lets all go in together." Minnie smiled at them all, bobbed her head reassuringly and unlocked the doors of the squad car. Quinn was out and running before she had opened her door.

"Damn!"

"It's alright DeputyMinnieSparkle." Brittany pronounced the Deputy's name like it was one word all run together. "I _really_ like your name." She dazzled the officer with bright blue eyes and an impish, irresistible grin.

"Quinn just wants to see Rachel, she won't break your rules but you should probably put some handcuffs on San or something. She's got the Latin fire running through her veins right now. I can usually hold her but sometimes she gets away from me too...when she's really _really_ mad."

Brittany had a vice like grip on Santana's wrist the whole time she was explaining to Deputy Sparkle how it might be a good idea to handcuff her girlfriend.

"_**Britt! Let me go!" **_The Latina was clawing at Brittany's fingers to no avail. Brittany finally just pulled Santana close, snuggling her from behind and clamping her into a solid bear hug. Hiram and Leroy had already run off behind Quinn.

"You can go ahead Min... I mean DeputyMinnieSparkle. I'll calm San down and then we'll be right there. I know San cares more about Rachel than she does about the "it." She just needs to cool off a little more." Brittany nodded at the Deputy who could only gape in wonder at the blonde Cheerio.

"So... no handcuffs for her after all?" Minnie asked a bit uncertainly, but also couldn't smother her amusement - her lips curled into a little smirk as she watched the very capable blonde subdue the virtual volcano wriggling in her arms.

"Nah... I don't think so. I got it covered. If she hasn't gotten away from me in the first minute or so I end up winning. Right San?" She kissed her struggling girlfriend on the cheek and smiled warmly at the Deputy before jerking her head in the direction of the warehouse, effectively dismissing the flustered officer.

The Swat Team had cleared everyone out of the little glass office and were beginning to process the evidence of Stephanie Hanson's intent. Rachel was wrapped in a blanket getting her blood pressure checked and a field inspection by the EMT's when Quinn burst into the larger room of the Floorworks warehouse.

_She looks like an angel. _Rachel thought as her girlfriend ran through the room, bypassing the far corner where the officers were guarding Stephanie. _Her hair is all tousled, her cheeks are flushed and she's been crying. She's so pretty. _Even in this state of upset her beauty is arresting and Rachel finds it hard to believe, sometimes, that Quinn is really her girlfriend._ Her angel girlfriend who kissed her better just this afternoon. Made everything right. Was that today? _

Rachel knew her thoughts were sort of askew. She was tired, the adrenalin rush she'd been riding on for the better part of the day had finally left her crashing. She was tired and all she wanted was for Quinn to hold her tight. Hold her all night long and never let go. She smiled wistfully, wishing now was later and they were home snuggled up in bed.

"Rach?" _Quinn was standing right in front of her. Her eyes are really green right now._ Quinn knelt down on the floor and inched her way close, placing her hands on Rachel's knees. _That's better. _Rachel thought, she smiled at Quinn now that they were face to face. _Now they could see each other clearly._ _Why did it hurt to look at Quinn right now? Why is my chest so tight?_ _Why do I feel so strange?_ She was fine a moment ago. She can't think of anything at all, her mind is blank and suddenly her shoulders hunch and she's sobbing and she's going to fall off the bench...but she doesn't fall.

Because Quinn caught her.

Quinn was holding her close and chanting endearments. "I've got you Rach. I'm right here baby, I love you Rachel. I've got you baby.. you're safe now... I love you Rachel."

Rachel gasped for breath into Quinn's shoulder, continued to weep but the safety she felt in Quinn's embrace seemed to ease the aching in her chest so she could breathe again. Her Daddy's were very near too - she could hear them crying. Suddenly, they were both beside her on the bench, encircling her shoulders with strong arms. All four of them were crying and hugging and gasping in a jumbled huddle. Santana and Brittany entered quietly and placed themselves in a protective stance, barring anyone from coming near their reunited friends.

Santana stared across the room at a listless and woeful Stephanie Hanson. The girl was slumping forward and her hands were cuffed behind her back. The Swat Team had also cuffed her ankles - they were linked together by a heavy chain. Santana wanted to shout and scream and threaten and just beat something; Hanson in particular, but Minnie Sparkle's words had taken root. She did not want to jeopardize what Rachel accomplished by breaking the protocols set forth by Sheriff Ricky and his _particularly cute _DeputyMinnieSparkle. She smirked. Well, the world didn't stop spinning after all - not if she could be noticing attractive women at such an inappropriate time. Santana shrugged her shoulders indifferently. This whole thing sucked on so many levels but that Bitch was going away for a long long time and that's what really mattered.

The EMT's gave Rachel the all clear and since Hiram was on the Medical Staff at the hospital, Ricky allowed him to take her home without going in for a formal check-up. As long as he signed a waiver the Sheriff was willing to let his brother take her home. However, they would all have to come in on the morrow to make a formal statement.

The six were escorted out of the warehouse by the Sheriff and his Deputy. Each of them caught a glimpse of the broken, insane wannabe. The wannabe Serial Killer. The wannabe Badass. The wannabe Head Cheerio. They didn't hesitate, nor linger, nor threaten - but they saw. They saw that she was captured. Stephanie Hanson was chained like a dangerous rabid beast, she could never hurt Rachel, nor anyone else again.

**Rachel and Quinn **

"Quinn?"

"Yeah Rach?"

"I'm scared."

Quinn could only pull Rachel closer and squeeze her tighter. They were lying in Rachel's bed snuggled up close and trying to sleep but neither girl could seem to relax. Rachel was so exhausted emotionally and physically but she couldn't get her mind to stop spinning out of control.

"It's okay to be scared Rachel, after what you went through today you will probably be scared for awhile yet. That's a normal reaction sweethea...-" But Rachel cut her off by sitting up in the bed and shaking her head back and forth vehemently.

"No Quinn, I mean yes I am still a little freaked out by what Stephanie intended and if I allow my thoughts to dwell on what might have happened, I think I could render myself permanently terrified. But that's not what I'm frightened of Quinn. I'm worried about what will come out of this incident at Stephanie's trial."

Quinn sat up to prop herself against the pillows and reached out to stroke the smooth skin of Rachel's back. Neither of them bothered with pajamas after their shower. They climbed into Rachel's bed and into one another's arms. If Judy, who was staying in the guest room, or Hiram and Leroy decided to check up on them they would have to suck it up. Naked teenagers were small peanuts compared to Serial Killer teenagers. Besides, the girls couldn't be bothered to care. Their only interest was to be as close as they possibly could, they needed the skin on skin contact. They needed to feel each other and connect on that tactile level, to feel alive and well, and normal together.

"What do you mean? You're not responsible for Hanson's mental problems Rachel. Believe me, you did the world a favor because anyone who knew the girl knew she was insane. It was just a matter of time before she escalated Rach...-"

"No, I know all that... but Quinn I kidnapped her, and drugged her and sort of terrorized her on Halloween. Remember? She brought that up earlier... before the Sting Operation. She said if she could be kidnapped on school grounds then she could do the same to someone else! Quinn, what if they use that as part of her defense? What if they start to investigate? What if she gets off on some weird ploy for sympathy by a 'good lawyer' like Uncle Ricky says."

Rachel was winding herself up again, her breathing was getting erratic and Quinn thought she was going to hyperventilate again. She reached out and and pulled her into her lap, kissed her cheek and started stroking circles on her back.

"Whoa! Rachel, that's a lot of what ifs? First of all, Stephanie doesn't know that you are the Skunker does she?"

"No...I..I didn't tell her. I almost did at the beginning because of my sweater and the camera eyes. I thought If I confessed she would know she was being filmed and hold off on her murderous intentions. But then she told me she was going back to the Cheerio meeting so... ah... no she doesn't know.

Well, if she doesn't know it was you, then she had no reason to single you out. There is no justification for what she did to you Rachel...what she intended to do to you. The Skunker didn't threaten her life or harm her in any way. She was damaged way before all of that happened Rachel and you've got the film to prove how sick she is. No one knows you are the Skunker Rachel - not officially. I mean besides me, Santana, Britt and Puck. And none of them will tell - you know that Rachel."

"I know Quinn... of course I know that, it's just I feel like I should get some advice. I don't want to be blind sided by what could happen. I want to know all the scenarios. I...I'm just confused by it all Quinn. What if it was my fault? What if I did push her over the edge with the Halloween Scene?"

"Shsssh... Rachel, it was not your fault. Hanson has always been unstable Rachel, believe me I know. The whole Cheerio squad and Coach Sylvester will all go on the record with how nuts she is. I can promise you that Rach. But I do think it's a good idea for us to talk to someone like you suggested."

"Us?" Rachel looked at Quinn curiously not quite understanding what she meant.

"Yes Rachel. Us. I was just as much a part of the Halloween Operation as you were. I wouldn't let you take the fall for that if it all comes out somehow. Neither would Britt nor San for that matter. I think we should talk to Deputy Sparkle. Ask her if she would give us some advice off the record maybe. Or present the issue to her hypothetically."

Rachel smiled at Quinn's suggestion, she sighed deeply and leaned in to rest her head on Quinn's shoulder.

"That's a very good idea Quinn. I couldn't put my Uncle in that situation because his presence may compromise the case. And, I do like Deputy Sparkle - she was cool and professional when she needed to be but also very warm. I felt safe when she was there with me... after my Uncle called her to come help."

Sigh.

"Good. Now you can relax Rachel. Let me hold you baby, I'll make swirls on your back the way you like so you can fall asleep...'kay?"

" 'kay." Racel stretched herself upon Quinn's body and allowed herself to settle down. Quinn was making light swirls, her hands were so gentle and warm and soothing.

Quinn couldn't sleep and so she watched Rachel breathe, soaking up the details of that beautiful face. Those full rich lips that, even now, in slumber couldn't help but form a perfect pout. She looked like a child who had been scolded and sent to bed without her dinner. Her long thick lashes were fluttering, indicating a deep REM cycle. She hoped her dreams were sweet and not a nightmare.

Quinn couldn't sleep because she _was _terrified. She didn't know if Rachel was still in shock or if she really meant what she had said. That she wasn't really frightened. How do you go through something so wrought with potential violence, with tension, strain, fear and just pretend it didn't happen? Sure, Rachel had cried earlier, they all had but shouldn't she be falling apart just a little? Stephanie was more of a mess emotionally than Rachel had been. Rachel was the victim and yet she just picked herself up like any other time and was already making plans.

Quinn was drowning in feelings. Feelings of fright and imagined grief, relief, and sadness for what Rachel had suffered in just one day. Terror for what might of happened had Peter not seen the live feed from Rachel's sweater. Or, what if Jeremy hadn't followed along in his car? Or, what if Stephanie succeeded? Everything was just so ugly and scary and painful and it hurt. It hurt so much she was choking on the fright.

She allowed herself to really feel the fear. Let it move through her system and engulf her with an all consuming heavy leaded weight. Grief. Yes she was grieving the possible loss. Not a reality but why did it feel so real? Tears were rolling off her cheeks and before she could capture them they splashed upon Rachel's back.

Sniffle. Gasp. Gasp. Sniffle.

And suddenly she was wracked with sobs. Her whole body shook with the weight of what might have been. She wanted it out. Out of her body and out of her consciousness. The world was a scary place that had always existed outside of Lima. These things didn't happen in Lima, and they didn't happen to the people she loved. She was shaking so hard, trying so hard not to wake Rachel, that she didn't even notice when their positions were suddenly flipped.

Rachel held her tightly in her arms.

Soft, tender lips were pressed against her brow, grazing across her face to lick the teardrops as they fell, and that sweet, sweet mouth was trailing kisses down her neck.

"It's okay Quinn... shsssh.. Let it all out now baby...shsssh."

Gentle hands were trailing patterns down her back; caressing, soothing, stroking while her bottom lip was being sucked and nibbled upon. Slowy, ever so slowly, the fear and sadness welled up and out, until it seemed to spill away. A part of it wanted to cling, to hang on tight to make Quinn suffer. A part of her felt she deserved to suffer. Somehow, she thought it was all her fault; if she hadn't been so mean to Rachel in the past then Stephanie would have never focused her attention on Rachel. It always came back to her past behavior and she couldn't let that go...

"No... Quinn. It's okay to be afraid honey, but don't allow the fear to win. I'm still here baby and I love you Quinn. Let me love you."

Rachel kissed her then, slowly, assuredly and thoroughly. And then the dam burst releasing a torrent of pain and passion all wrapped up in love and unexpected desire. Rachel's deep brown eyes were gleaming brightly with a need to express herself to Quinn. She deepened their kiss, begging Quinn with her tongue to let her in. _Let me have you Quinn._ Hot kisses demanding surrender. _Let me love you Quinn_. Wandering hands were squeezing her bottom and pulling her closer.

Rachel thrust her hips, grinding herself into Quinn's center, she shifted her body swiftly and suddenly her thigh was rubbing back and forth through silky, wet heat. Quinn was floundering in a raging river, swimming against the current until, finally, exhausted and spent she let it all go; she emptied her sorrow, her fear and her pain into the current to be swept away.

Rachel flipped them over and straddled Quinn's waist. She kissed Quinn's neck and bit down hard along her shoulder, then licked the pain away with gentle strokes. _Feel that Quinn. This is real. I'm right here. _ She trailed her tongue a crooked path to creamy mounds of flesh and distended nipples. Sucking and teasing, running her tongue around the rim, nipping and biting the deep pink buds until Quinn squirmed with want and desire.

Quinn bucked and thrust her hips, wanting, suddenly needing Rachel to take her. Rachel slipped her fingers into the silky wet and warmth, sliding back and forth slowly at first and then she slid inside. _Feel me Quinn, feel me inside you. I'm right here with you and I love you Quinn. _Rachel said with her hands and fingers and her mouth. She peppered Quinn's stomach with kisses and bit into the side of her hip, all the while her fingers worked a steady rhythm.

Rachel wanted her to know, wanted Quinn to see how very much alive she was, how very much in love she was. She kissed her way back up Quinn's body and sought that tender mouth. Blond hair was slick with sweat, clinging to her brow and beautifully tousled.

"Please... Rachel... I..."

"Look at me Quinn. Open your eyes baby and let me see you."

Vulnerable hazel green met and held a gaze of equal susceptibility. Rachel picked up her rhythm, harder and faster building up the tension. _I'm right here sweetheart. _She felt the tightening of walls, while searching out that little rough patch, curling her fingers just so, she used her hips to thrust just that little bit more. _I've got you Quinn, I'll never let you go. _

Quinn was struggling to keep her eyes open and do what Rachel wanted. Yet, she was struggling to hang on. Hang on to that little bit of suffering she thought she deserved. But Rachel wouldn't allow her. Rachel wanted her; all of her - the dark of her and the light of her.

_"_Let go baby, let yourself go._"_

Quinn came like a lion. Roaring and raw she screamed like never before. Tears streamed in rivulets, pouring freely while her whole body quaked and trembled in the aftermath. Rachel kept her fingers buried deeply within, slowing her rhythm while guiding Quinn home.

Several minutes passed with Quinn quietly weeping in Rachel's arms until, finally, she felt like she could function again. Wow.

"Um... thank you... I think." Quinn quipped into Rachel's shoulder and started to chuckle. Rachel slapped her bottom and playfully pinched it as well.

"We can go another round if that one didn't do the job." Rachel threatened teasingly.

Quinn giggled and looked up to meet Rachel's gaze. She smiled, kissed along the line of her girlfriends collar bone before replying.

"That was so amazing Rachel, and exactly what I needed... but I didn't know it. I was supposed to be taking care of you tonight Rachel. You were the one who was hurt. I thought we would just hold one another. I don't know, but... I feel so good right now. And I feel guilty now because I feel so good...like we should both still be freaking out or something."

Rachel blew a puff of air at her bangs which needed to be trimmed.

"There isn't a right or wrong answer to this stuff Quinn. Maybe I'll have my break down tomorrow night, or the next night or next week or next year. And you will be there to hold me just like you were earlier tonight. We take care of each other and we're getting good at it. And I don't mean making love Quinn, but that, too, is part of it... I mean we support one another emotionally."

"I love you Quinn. I love you and I'm not going to allow what happened, or what may have happened rule my life, or ruin what we have together...okay?"

"Okay" Quinn nodded her agreement and felt much better with Rachel's straight forward assessment.

"I love you too Rach."

They snuggled up together and prepared themselves for sleep but Rachel started to chuckle causing Quinn to arch an eyebrow.

"My room is supposedly soundproof Quinn, but I think the whole of the wild kingdom heard your roar. Snort! I'm really not looking forward to facing my Dad in the morning... nor your mother."

Oh. My. God.

**To Be Continued.**

_Next Chapter a meeting with Deputy Sparkle, including Brittany and Santana. Also, what will be decided about Rachel's Play? _

_Thanks so much to those of you who take the time to review. :)_


	25. Bluberry Pancakes

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This is a bit shorter and not a lot happens in this chapter. I wanted an easy transition from all the intensity of the last four chapters, so this is a little lighter and will help to move the story back into its final arc. _

**Chapter XXV "Blueberry Pancakes "**

**Saturday Morning Breakfast with Judy, Hiram, Leroy, Rachel and Quinn**

"Hiram, I strongly suggest you go for a run before breakfast. Maybe you can make that your new Saturday morning ritual. Far be it from me to interfere on Rachel's behalf, especially concerning what we all heard last night... ah... um..." Lerory cleared his throat and shot Judy a nervous grin. She rolled her eyes and nodded robustly, letting him know that, yes, she had heard the 'noises' coming from Rachel's room. Or rather, one particularly loud noise, scream, moan, whatever it was - it was definitely going to be the pink elephant in the room at the breakfast table.

All three parents were of a similar mind. The girls had been through an ordeal. All of them had been through the ordeal, but Rachel had been the direct victim and the rest of them were there to offer her support. Quinn, apparently was Rachel's _medicine_. _Gah! Who cares? So the girls got off last night. If that's what Rachel needed than who were they to tell them no, or complain about it after the fact? What was that stupid farmy phrase? A little late to close the barn doors after the cows have fled or something? Well, the cows have been out of that barn and roaming free for quite some time and it was foolish for the three of them to pretend otherwise. Especially after what happened yesterday._

Judy was seated at the island on a stool, sipping coffee, talking with Leroy while he prepared the pancake batter. Hiram was seated at the breakfast table pouting and bobbing his knee up and down. He did not like it when his routine was disrupted. He always woke Rachel up on Saturday morning for breakfast. That's what they did, ever since she was a baby. His heart rate was speeding up with just the thought of changing his orderly routine, even just this once. He knew it was ridiculous on an intellectual level, but emotionally and physically even, he fought with conflicting desires. He knew he should leave the girls alone but he _needed_ to wake his baby girl up himself. He_ needed_ his routine...

"I agree with Leroy, Hiram. I think for just this once, maybe you should skip your Saturday thing with Rachel. Let the girls come down to breakfast when they are ready. I can't imagine they got much sleep last night...um.. well, considering everything that happened... ah... oh, hell! That scream shook the whole neighborhood. I'm fairly certain there was an earthquake followed by aftershocks and all of them were measurable on the Ritchie scale. Or whatever they call that damned thing they measure quakes with." Judy was giggling by the time she finished her thought.

Leroy was snorting his laughter into his arm. He turned away from the counter so as not to spray spittle into the pancake batter. Hiram would never make it though breakfast if he had to worry about spit in his pancakes on top of having his precious, neurotic routine disturbed. The telephone in the entryway rang interrupting the discussion for the moment. Judy and Leroy rolled their eyes and giggled while Hiram dashed out of the kitchen to answer it. He was waiting for a call from Sheriff Ricky, knowing they were expected at the police station so Rachel could make her statement.

"Ricky wants us down town by ten o'clock. I really think I should go wake Rachel up...um... I mean the girls up so we won't be late." Hiram passed through the kitchen with this information on his way to the stairwell - hell bent on performing this important mission.

"_**Hiram!" **_Was shouted at his back by Leroy and Judy simultaneously. But the warning was unnecessary as both girls were backing him into the kitchen. Hiram was sputtering, "Good morning girls," and looking thoroughly disgruntled that his plan had been foiled.

Rachel and Quinn had taken showers already, both of them looked fresh and wide awake. They smelled of Rachel's Vanilla cream rinse and the intricate, yet subtle spicy aroma of her handmade body soap. They were both dressed in what Rachel called her weekend wear. Rachel was wearing a black Les Miserables tee with really soft looking faded jeans that were spattered with Pink paint droplets. Quinn had borrowed her Wicked tee shirt and donned a pair of black jeans that she had left behind the previous weekend.

"Good morning baby girl, Quinn, how are you girls feeling this morning?" Leroy asked as he poured some batter into the skillet. He had a great excuse not to make eye contact with the teens and therefore refrained from bursting into giggles with the memory of Quinn's howling. Judy wasn't so fortunate, she opted for smiling awkwardly at the two teenagers, who were bravely trying to act as though they hadn't woken up the astronauts on the space shuttle currently orbiting the planet.

Quinn was visibly pink, she bolted for a chair at the table and snatched up yesterday's newspaper, abandoning Rachel at the onset of the interrogation. Rachel sneered at her bailing girlfriend then smiled sheepishly at Judy and shrugged her shoulders. _Why not just get it all over with?_ _They're already acting strangely so I'll just use the sledge hammer technique. Hopefully, we can all move on and enjoy Dad's pancakes. Daddy isn't even functioning because he missed the Saturday ritual so I only have Dad and Judy to assuage. _She dug into the cupboard for two glasses and filled them up with orange juice for she and Quinn. She planted Quinn's glass in front of her with a thunk and shot her girlfriend the 'stink eye' before addressing the parental units.

"Quinn and I stayed up late talking but then I fell asleep as I was exhausted from yesterdays tribulations. However, I woke up to Quinn crying uncontrollably so I kissed her to make her feel better. One thing led to another and due to the emotional strain we both endured, coupled with my considerable skills - she had the Orgasm Of The Century. Thus, the loud scream that I'm sure every neighbor within a three block radius heard. I fervently hope no one called the police and am sincerely sorry if our late night activities disrupted your sleep. We are, to answer your question Dad, Daddy, and Judy quite refreshed this morning and are eager to meet today's challenges."

And with that said, Rachel took a sip of her orange juice while peering over the rim of the glass. Poor Quinn, she just happened to take a big swig from her glass when Rachel got to the part, '_she had the Orgasm Of The Century', _and promptly snorted orange juice through her nose. Hiram was giggling like a lunatic, Leroy's mouth was agape and Judy continued to smile awkwardly.

Rachel patted Quinn on the back, who was gasping for air, the light pink blush she had going earlier was now a deep Crimson. "You okay sweetheart?" Rachel smiled ghoulishly at her girlfriend. _That will teach Quinn not to throw her to the wolves. _Relenting just a bit, she pressed a kiss to the top of Quinn's head before sitting down next to her at the breakfast table.

"Are you putting blueberries in the pancakes Dad?"

"Yes baby girl." Leroy snorted and started to laugh, he was joined by Judy and Hiram who had not stopped giggling since Rachel finished her eloquent discourse. The entire kitchen was soon filled with hysterical laughter. A short time later they all sat down to enjoy a breakfast of scrumptious vegan, blueberry pancakes and discuss the forthcoming interview at the police headquarters.

**Rachel, Quinn, Brittany, Santana and Deputy Minnie Sparkle.**

**Sunday afternoon**

They decided to meet at the Lima Bean and pretend it was just a casual, "we just happened to be in here too" bump into one another occasion. Minnie wasn't in uniform, she was off the clock and just _happened_ to see the girls she recently met and decided to say hello to them. That was the pretense behind this scheduled get together.

The tall Deputy was wearing an insulated jean jacket, black jeans and hiking boots. Her dark wavy hair was flattened out by the ski hat she had been wearing, she pushed it back to fluff it up and only proceeded to make it look wild. She smiled at the girls seated in their corner booth. She was standing up, holding a Cappuccino to go, and swaggered over to their table to say "Hi." She winked at Rachel and smothered her grin.

"How are you four doing? I see Santana is free of handcuffs this morning so she must be on good behavior today?"

Brittany giggled, Quinn looked confused and Rachel was about to explode with impatience.

"Hey, I resemble that!" The Latina snarked at the Deputy by couldn't suppress the smirk that curled upon her lips. "

"Deputy Sparkle would you care to join us?" Rachel interrupted the teasing, she wanted to get on with this little planned _accidental_ run in. Her nerves were on edge. After making a three hour statement at the police department on Saturday she was desperate to get some advice about how she should proceed.

The Deputy nodded and grabbed a chair from an empty table. She swung it around so it was facing backwards and straddled the seat, placing her coffee on the table in front of her and crossing her arms over the back rest. The move was casual and smooth, the older woman had made a favorable impression on all of the girls.

Just before the Deputy arrived Santana had speculated that she played for their _"team." _ But Quinn had made it clear that it would not be appropriate for them to pry into her private life. She was doing them a favor by agreeing to meet with them so they should be on their best behavior.

"Is Captain Monroe your girlfriend?" Brittany blurted out.

"Oh My God. _Brittany_!" Quinn scolded. Santana snickered and Rachel made a strangled noise that was a mix between a giggle and a huff. It was pointless to try and curtail Brittany's curiosity, she always got her way. It didn't matter what the circumstances were or the company they were keeping. If Brittany was in the room she controlled the conversation until she lost interest in it. Rachel thought she could make an amazing politician if she ever put her mind to such ambitions.

Deputy Minnie Sparkle's eyebrows were prepared to take flight with Brittany's question. She glanced around the table at the girls who were, she had to admit, decidedly interesting teenagers. Each of them had a significant presence and strength on their own but all together the four of them were somewhat intimidating. She was well aware of their relationships based on what she witnessed at the crime scene the other evening and therefore felt that Brittany's question was simple curiosity.

"What gave you that impression Brittany? If I may ask before I answer your question."

Brittany smiled, shrugged her shoulders and nodded to herself to confirm her inner thoughts, as though she was recalling something she remembered before responding.

"I saw the way she was watching you. After the Swat Team was all busy with whatever they were doing she kept looking over at where we were all standing with Rachel. But she was looking at you and not the rest of us. She had this secret smile in her eyes when they settled on your...um.. your bum."

Quinn buried her head in her arms on the table while Rachel and Santana adopted identical evil grins.

"She didn't smile with her lips, just her eyes but I could tell that she knew all kinds of stuff about you...it's how San looks at me in a room full of people. It's how she lets me know that I belong to her." Brittany bobbed her head at the Deputy and smiled warmly before finishing her thought.

"You're really lucky to have someone who loves you so much DeputyMinnieSparkle."

The Deputy shook her head in wonder at the blonde girl who seemed so innocent and simple but was obviously not.

"You can call me Minnie, Brittany. And yes, you made a very astute observation. I am lucky to have someone who loves me so much. But just so we're all on the same page here. Gillian is not 'out' and would be devastated to know that she'd been caught ogling me at a crime scene."

"Oh... I don't think anyone else could tell Depu... I mean Minnie, I just have a way of seeing what other people don't most times. I won't tell anybody and neither will San or Quinn or Rach. Right?"

Brittany eyed the other girls who were vigorously nodding their heads in agreement.

"Great!" Minnie clapped her hands together and launched into a question that would take the focus off of her.

"Now that, that's settled why don't you girls talk to me about what has Rachel so on edge? I also have some observational skills and I can tell that something, other than the fact that she was targeted by a psychopath, has her completely wound up?" She held up her hand to cut off any qualifying statements.

"And before you go into the whole 'is this off the record?' spiel. Yes. I will tell you right now that anything you tell me will be among friends. However, if you are going to tell me that you have committed a serious crime. Don't."

All four girls slumped in their spaces in the booth. _Ugh. Fuck. Okay she could work around this._

"What I want you to do is tell me a story about _'your friends'_ who may have done something illegal and I will suggest what _'your friends' _should do in regards to my knowledge of the law. This is all hypothetical advice. Are we clear?"

Rachel and Quinn shared a relieved smile, Santana narrowed her eyebrows and Brittany shrugged indifferently.

"I brought my laptop with me." Rachel announced. "I've set up a presentation that will help explain _'our friends'_ predicament. She pulled her computer off of the bench seat and set it up on the table. Santana groaned but everyone else was curious as to how Rachel could put this together without giving them away.

_An Hour Later._

"So, let's be clear." Minnie cleared her throat before continuing but also to give her time to process the incredible tale that Rachel had spun. _Whoa! McKinley High School was totally whacked. _

_"_This high school Vigilante has been pranking the bullies since the beginning of this school year? Sh...He dyed the Cheerleaders, _'Skunked', _the football team, Slushied the teaching staff, drugged, kidnapped and blackmailed several students including Stephanie Hanson, terrorized an entomophobic boy, and hacked the schools on line news blog?"

Nod, nod, nod, nod.

"This Vigilante did all of these things to stop the bullying that has been plaguing McKinley High School for generations?"

Nod, nod, nod, nod.

"Did you three get dyed?" Minnie asked the Cheerio's curiously, her lips twitched with the varied expressions. Santana's brow knit tightly together in a scowl, while Quinn sighed and Brittany lit up like she'd had a great adventure.

"Some of these bullies were blackmailed with video, a film?"

"Yes." Rachel responded.

"Do you have any copies of these films?"

Rachel quickly clicked the command to load the video she had previously prepared. This was the same film she had shown on Halloween night but it was edited to show only the clips that involved Stephanie's harassment of Giles Deroche and Cindy Bingham.

After watching the short film Minnie sat up straight in the chair she was straddling. She took a big swig of her coffee and whistled through her teeth.

"I hate to say this Rachel, but I am so relieved that she went after you. You were the single most, worst person for her to target, and yet the best because that's what got her caught. That girl is one sick piece of work. That little piece of film makes me sick to my stomach."

"Tell me something Rachel, does Stephanie know who the PrankMaster is?"

"No, no one does except for the four of us." Rachel responded softly and held her breath in anticipation of what else Minnie might ask. The other three girls were watching intently. Santana and Brittany's handhold was like a death grip and Quinn was fiercely clutching Rachel's thigh beneath the table.

Minnie nodded in relief with Rachel's response.

"This is what will probably happen. Stephanie will tell her lawyer of her abduction at school and they will attempt to investigate the claim. It will be a viable defensive tactic for them. This is a reality now. It happened and it can be corroborated by the other boys who were also abducted. Quinn and Santana will have to go along with that story as well. Coach Sylvester will also be interviewed and that Tinker guy you talked about."

"But here's the thing. I think that this Vigilante Prankster should anonymously send this video of Stephanie to the police department, the prosecutor, the judge, and Stephanie's lawyer. This is very disturbing behavior that occurred well before the girl was kidnapped on the Halloween prank. It will establish a pattern of her behavior and, hopefully, dismiss any claims of hers that the Halloween prank instigated her attack on Rachel."

"And... I also think _'he' _The Prankster should continue with his campaign of busting bullies balls. If he stops now it will look suspicious. If there are any suspicions about who it might be... and that person suddenly stops with the onset of Stephanie's arrest, then things could get muddled."

"Rachel?" Minnie addressed the little diva directly.

"Yes?"

"Do you think their is any physical evidence, any trace at all, by which this Prankster could be caught?"

"No."

"Alright then. Good enough for me. Have your Prankster email the vid to the department and have him continue his game. That is my advice."

"Really?" Rachel could hardly believe her ears.

"Yes. Really Rachel. I have to say that I am stunned by what you've shown me. If only half of what you told me is true a good portion of the students in that school should be arrested for assault and harassment. Why the School Board, Administration and Staff has turned a blind eye all of these years has me baffled? But, what I'm guessing you are most concerned about Rachel - is that Stephanie could get acquitted. Am I right?"

Rachel looked at the frozen picture on the screen of her computer, the final clip of Stephanie Hanson smearing mashed potatoes into Cindy Bingham's hair in the lunch room, and nodded sadly in response to Minnie's question.

Minnie reached across the table to grab Rachel's hand and give it a squeeze.

"That girl is going to be locked up for most of her life Rachel. I can promise you that. She is a predator of the worst sort and there is a mountain of evidence against her. You need to try and let this go for now. Go back to school and sing in the glee club. Cherish every moment with your girlfriend," She nodded at Quinn, "Hang out with your good friends," She smiled at Brittany and Santana.

"And be happy Rachel...okay?"

Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand which was now caressing her thigh, she grinned across the table at Brittany and Santana, before flashing the big and bright - the megawatt, the prize winning smile at Deputy Minnie Sparkle.

"Okay."

**To Be Continued.**

_Thanks to all of you who continue to read and review. I so appreciate your support and feedback. :)_


	26. Stumbling Forward

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Hi everyone. Sorry for the long delay in updating. Real life trumps Fanfiction life, unfortunately. This is an inbetween chapter that sets up the next two scenes in Rachel's Play, which will complete Act II. I hope you stick around to see what happens_

_..._

_Minnie reached across the table to grab Rachel's hand and give it a squeeze._

_"That girl is going to be locked up for the rest of her life Rachel. I can promise you that. She is a predator of the worst sort and there is a mountain of evidence against her. You need to try and let this go for now. Go back to school and sing in the glee club. Cherish every moment with your girlfriend," She nodded at Quinn, "Hang out with your good friends," She smiled at Brittany and Santana. _

_"And be happy Rachel...okay?"_

_Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand that was now caressing her thigh, she grinned across the table at Brittany and Santana, before flashing the big and bright - the megawatt, the prize winning smile at Deputy Minnie Sparkle._

_"Okay."_

**Chapter XXVI "Stumbling Forward "**

**Rachel, Quinn, Brittany and Santana**

After Deputy Minnie Sparkle left that afternoon the girls stayed at the Lima Bean a while longer to discuss the advice they had been given and also to work on some issues amongst themselves.

"Rachel, I want to know why you broke your promise to me?"

Brittany was having a difficult time. She was very upset with Rachel because of what transpired with Stephanie. Upset because that frightening situation could have, should have been prevented. If only Rachel had kept her promise. Brittany knew Rachel. She knew that Rachel wouldn't lie or break her word. Ever! So, it was difficult for the sensitive blonde to reconcile her feelings over what had happened. She loved Rachel and Quinn every bit as much as she loved Santana. There wasn't a chart or graph she could use to measure her feelings; Brittany only knew that had she lost Rachel, her heart would break in much the same way it would if she lost San.

She was angry with Rachel and didn't want to be. Brittany didn't do anger. Every once in a blue moon she got frustrated and upset with people when they behaved badly. Most times people just made her sad because they acted so awful. But she rarely got angry. Anger was an ugly manifestation of fear, which Brittany didn't believe in. Well, she knew fear existed because most of the people in the world were scared all the time about everything. That's why people were so mean all the time; because they were afraid. Brittany was rarely afraid because she knew that all she had to do was think of _who_ she loved and _what_ she loved. If she focused on the wonderful there wasn't any room leftover for fear.

Most people didn't get it. People made things complicated when they didn't have to. So, she decided that she didn't want to be angry with Rachel because she loved her so much. She wanted the _wonderful _back in her life. What Rachel did frightened her, it was careless, thoughtless and selfish.

The situation was confusing and unique to Brittany's experience. She needed to tell Rachel how she felt and ask her why. That way she could stop being mad and scared and be happy again. Let the love back in, let it shatter all the scary feelings. She sighed sadly and tried to keep her eyes from welling up but lost the battle. She repeated her question with a quiver in her voice. Big blue eyes were filled with hurt, betrayal and confusion.

"Why Rach?"

Santana wrapped her arm around Britt's shoulder protectively but restrained herself from butting in. They were all still pretty raw from the whole experience. Brittany just needed an answer so she could feel at peace again. Santana had already forgiven the midge...ah, Rachel, but she did want her to explain herself because that's what Brittany needed.

Rachel stared at her lap. She couldn't look Brittany in the eye. She could see how hurt her friend was and also feel her sadness hovering in the air. She needed to take responsibility for this with all three of them. And her Dad and Daddy. Her actions were reckless, and naive, and cocky even. This was an issue of trust among the people she cared most about and she had let them down.

"I'm so sorry Brittany. I don't have an excuse or a reasonable explanation. I knew I shouldn't go with Stephanie and yet I still did. I even reminded myself that I had made a promise to you, and still I chose to ignore my inner voice. I owe you all an explanation and I don't have one. Each of you warned me, begged me not have anything to do with her and still, I broke my word. I'm so sorry I let you down. I'm so, so sorry."

Rachel's voice was very soft as she spoke, it started to crack as she apologized and then she began to cry. Big full tears trickled down her cheeks in streams. Her bottom lip was trembling as she tried to contain the wellspring of emotions that suddenly erupted. Reality was sudden and harsh. The reality that, not only had she put herself in mortal danger but she caused her family, her friends, and Quinn to suffer too.

All because she had gotten cocky. Her Play was working, the bullies were changing for the better. If she was going to be honest with herself, she knew the reason she chose to go on that nightmare ride with Stephanie was because she thought she could have a positive influence on the scary girl. Rachel's head had gotten _fat, _as Santana had so eagerly pointed out. And it was true. This awful situation had been enabled by her inflated ego. Rachel never felt so small in all her life with the realization of what her actions inflicted upon those she loved. Gasping in a choked breath, trying to stifle a sob, she broke down inside the Lima Bean.

_Finally_, Quinn thought with relief as she embraced her weeping girlfriend. Quinn wasn't happy that Rachel was crying but she was grateful that she was finally allowing herself to feel the immensity of the danger she had been in.

Brittany felt the upset and the tension drain away with Rachel's tears and heartfelt regret. The anger melted away, leaving remnants of a wistful sadness that would soon be lost to memory. She nodded to herself, silently affirming that everything would turn out right. With that final thought she reached across the table to pet her tiny, precious friend.

Santana gazed at her three girls with with open adoration and felt a tug in her heart as she watched them comfort one another. She shot a glare at the approaching waitress who turned on her heal a scurried away. She smirked at the retreating figure before joining Britt in patting Rachel's back and uttering sappy, supportive (but sincere) sentiments.

...

**Monday**

Amazingly, no one at school was spreading gossip. Rachel and Quinn entered the school on Monday morning with trepidation. They were flanked by Santana, Brittany and Puck as they strode through the hallways toward their lockers. They were expecting to be greeted by whispers, stares and pointing fingers, but instead, were met with the usual sluggish murmurs and the bored indifference the students exuded every morning. The same old, same old and they couldn't have been more relieved.

The incident was being handled confidentially by the Prosecutors Office and the Police Department because both Stephanie and Rachel were minors. For the time being, it was assumed that Stephanie Hanson's lawyer was going to keep a lid on the details of her arrest, at least until he decided to investigate the Halloween Scene. Everything would come out in the open eventually. The one person who could have blown the whole story wide open hadn't told a single soul, except for his parents of course.

Jeremy Miller.

Jeremy was very firmly instructed by Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce, Noah Puckerman, Peter Silverman, Sherriff Ricky, the Police Department, and the Prosecutor: to keep his mouth shut.

He was a hero and could be proud that he had gone to such extremes to rescue Rachel, but he would have to wait to get his accolades. He didn't give a damn about any of that. All he wanted was for Rachel to forgive him and she had. He would never, ever again do anything to intentionally hurt the little diva. If the police and Rachel's friends wanted him to stay quiet in order to protect her then that's what he would do. He wanted to protect her because he cared about her. Damn. He _really_ cared about her.

That wasn't a bad thing at all. He always thought the little diva was attractive physically, even though he would have never considered socializing with her. That would be social suicide and he just didn't have it in him to be brave enough to ignore the stigma of being her friend. But that was all before last Friday. Friday had changed everything about the person Jeremy Miller was becoming. He would, forever after, remember that unbelievably crazy, scary day as the day he grew some balls. After Friday's misadventure Rachel Berry had wormed her way into a sizable, significant part his heart.

He knew she would never date him. It was more than obvious that her heart belonged to Quinn Fabray. That revelation should have blown him away because of the unlikeliness of the pairing. He thought it was funny that the least strange part about the couple was that they were girls. The strangest part being that Quinn had worked so diligently at making Rachel a social pariah. How had Rachel forgiven her? But the answer to that question was very moot to Jeremy because he had first hand experience with Rachel's ability to forgive.

_After Ricky and Peter had gotten her out of the cuffs the first thing she did was throw her arms around his neck and hug him tightly. He couldn't help but wrap his own arms around her tiny waist to return the embrace. _

_"Thank you Jeremy," was whispered in his ear at precisely the same moment he nervously sputtered,_

_"I'm ss..so sorry Rachel."_

_"I know you didn't want to throw the slushies."_

_"I'm such a coward, I'm so ashamed Rachel... please forgive me." His tears were flowing freely and he was sniffling._

_" Shssh Jeremy, everything is okay now and you're my hero! How could I not forgive my hero?" She asked him and pulled back from his embrace. She flashed that huge smile at him, those sparkling brown eyes were shining as she blinked those long, long lashes to clear the wetness of her own tears. _

Gah! Quinn Fabray was the luckiest girl on the planet!

He really wasn't too jealous because he knew that Quinn made Rachel happy. What he hoped for now was that Rachel would allow him to be her friend.

**Tuesday **

**Vegetable Lasagna **

Rachel hated admitting that perhaps Santana was right. She was just as obsessive as her father on occasion. Although she had never been diagnosed, nor treated for the disorder she did, on occasion, behave in a manner which could be considered obsessive and irrational if her quest for perfection did not meet the gold star standards she had set forth.

Therefore, the Unholy Trinity and Puck were unable to convince her that the _Glee Pee_ Scene for the hockey team should be considered a replacement for_ her _Scene. Act II: Scene IV of her Play: Ice Capades.

"Rachel, it's just going to be a little too much for the hockey team. The humiliation they suffered at Friday's game will haunt them for the rest of the season. To target them again tomorrow night, is just going to draw way too much attention to the Play. The fans will be mad Rach. They were perfectly happy to join in on the punishment for what they did to you at school on Friday, but this additional disruption to their season will infuriate people. Hockey fans are nuts Rachel. I don't think we should risk pushing them any further."

Santana finally finished her speech. Wow. And the fiery Latina claimed that she was long winded. Rachel snickered silently to herself.

"What if I modify the Scene?"

Rachel countered as she chopped the tri colored bell peppers she was putting into her secret, special, vegan Lasagna. Quinn was rinsing the spinach. Puck was making the homemade noodles, which almost succeeded in making Santana faint. Once she recovered from the shock, she immediately took advantage by snapping several pictures of the boy, who was garbed in Rachel's Pink apron as he rolled out the dough.

Puck made Santana do a pinky swear that she would never tell anyone that he could cook. He also had to promise her five free Puckisodes. Which meant that whenever Santana wanted, she could demand his services for _whatever_ she wanted, _however_ she wanted them, and for _whomever_ she wanted them performed. A Puckisode was a free pass at having Puck as a slave and Santana had extorted him for _FIVE_! Yay!

Santana and Brittany were seated side by side at the breakfast table, watching the others cook, sharing a glass of sparkling cider while smirking at Puck knowingly. Ack! Rachel was going to owe him big time for this.

They were preparing a thank you dinner for her Dad and Daddy, Judy, Uncle Ricky, Deputy Sparkle, Captain Monroe and Peter. Rachel wanted to do something special for her Uncle, her parents, Judy and her friends. They had all been so supportive and understanding of her through this whole "Schmanson" episode. To Rachel's dismay, Puck insisted on making a portmanteau of Stephanie Hanson and Charles Manson. She did rather enjoy his dark humor, however, and found herself giggling every time he talked about the "Schmanson" incident.

Santana tore her gaze away from Puck's magical, deft fingers that were tweaking and pinching the wide strands of noodle he had just divided from his large slab of dough. Puck in Pink, with flour spattered all over him, was kind of a mesmerizing sight. Forcing herself to focus on the conversation she was having with Rachel she sputtered out her next objection.

"How? How can you modify something that is supposed to make the whole team suddenly unable to skate?"

"Easily. We'll just target one player at a time. Just as we did with Finn in the practice game. I can control the pellet boxes individually with the remote. I don't have to set them all off at the same time."

"But that won't be as fun...or funny!" Santana complained. Not realizing that by arguing with Rachel over the modification of the Scene, she had already agreed that they would go forward with it.

"No... it won't be as dramatic as what we planned Santana, but it will still be fun and funny. I don't care about the funny anyway; the whole point of this Play is to bring humility to those people in the school who have no compuction in their fervor to hurt and degrade innocents. All of the athletic teams harbor the biggest abusers. I intend to show them they are not immune because they wear a letterman jacket. If the fans get upset - so be it!"

"The hockey players are still tossing kids in dumpsters. Even after what they 'suffered' Friday night; those idiots Jared Paulson, Gary Todd and several other members of the team scooped up Marcus Hahn and stuffed him in the dumpster behind the wood shop. They dumped his back pack right behind him, making sure to open it first, scattering all of his books among the debris. Does that sound like they actually learned anything from being splattered with Glee Pee? I'll prank those hockey goons all season if I have to and I don't give a _flying fuck _if they lose every single game because of it."

Rachel was waving her chopping knife in wild circles to accentuate her point, her voice had taken on a hysterical pitch and her eyes were filling up with tears. Quinn stepped up behind her and very gently grabbed her wrist. She took the knife out of her hand and placed it on the counter. Puck, Brittany and Santana watched with big eyes as the little diva proceeded to come undone. Quinn spun Rachel around and wrapped her in strong arms while whispering over her shoulder to give them a minute. The three quietly retreated from the kitchen and settled themselves in the living room.

"Shsssh... Rachel honey, it's okay now. Let yourself cry whenever you need to baby." Quinn was holding her girlfriend snug and stroking her back. Ever since she broke down in the Lima Bean on Sunday, Rachel was having miniature bouts of hysteria. All at once she would be overwhelmed with emotion and wind herself up. It didn't matter what the conversation was, it would somehow escalate into Rachel shouting, or storming out and eventually sobbing in Quinn's arms.

Rachel was no stranger to therapy and had a regular weekly appointment since her middle school years. This whole Stephanie Hanson issue was taking its toll on the high strung little diva. Suprisingly, to Quinn, Rachel's therapist had agreed with Deputy Sparkle's advice. That Rachel should continue with her Play.

The idea being that if Rachel felt she wanted to continue then she should. It was important for Rachel to see Stephanie's psyschotic actions as something not related to her or the Play. Stephanie was Sick and would have acted out regardless of anything that happened at school. Rachel's therapist was able to break down Stephanie's behavior as a life long escalation that had an inevitable conclusion, which would result in her attempt on someone's life. Unfortunately, that someone was Rachel, but it was not because of Rachel personally, nor the Halloween Scene of her Play.

Rachel had a very long session with Dr. Phillips on Monday and had come back from that appointment with a zeal to continue. Quinn wondered just how forthcoming Rachel had been with Doctor Phillips regarding the details of her Play? She couldn't really believe that a therapist would encourage her to continue under these crazy circumstances. But, then again, Rachel had been abused at school on a daily basis, for several years. Maybe crazy was a relative term in this situation.

"It's okay Quinn. I'm sorry." Sniffle. "I think this is going to happen for a little while. I have issues with control and what Stephanie did, or intended to do has really left me off balance. I know it will get better." Sniffle.

Puck, Brittany and Santana were peeking into the kitchen from the little hallway that led into the living room. Rachel smiled at them and waved them back into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I'm really okay you know. You should all take it as a compliment that I feel safe enough to cry in front of you. For years I held back my tears until I was safely in my room where no one could see. Or, alone in the bathroom at school after a slushie. You all make me feel so safe now... "

All at once the kitchen was filled with sniffles. Even Puck in Pink was wiping his eyes as he clung tightly to the bundle of girls that had formed a huddle around Rachel. They would all get through this together.

_The Previous Weeks Preparation for Operation Ice Capades._

_Rachel hoped no one ever looked under the benches. The long benches the players sat upon and shuffled down while waiting their turn to rotate back onto the ice._

_She swiped the master key to the ice arena in the very same way she stole the master key to the school. She made an appointment with Mr. Simmons (the hockey coach) to ask him some questions about the glee clubs scrimmage game. While she was talking to him in his office a curious commotion interrupted Rachel's interview. The coach hurried outside to break up an argument between Noah Puckerman and Gary Todd. She leaned over his desk, pulled open the top drawer and snagged his ring of keys. She pulled a block of quick dry clay out of her pocket and quickly made an impression of both sides of the key she needed. Later, she made a mold and had Peter cast a copy of the key for her._

_The next evening Quinn, Brittany, Santana, and Puck accompanied her at 2 a.m. to the McKinley High School ice arena. The five of them, all dressed in black, rigged the underside of the home team players benches. Sixty little black boxes with magnetic hinged lids were anchored to the undersides of the players benches. They used a sticky compound that was much like silly putty but held its grip like super glue. All of the boxes contained a numbered chip so Rachel could release each lid by remote control. Each little box was one cubic half inch. They were filled with bee's wax bb pellets. Rachel spray painted the little pellets black so when they spilled upon the mats that covered the floor they would blend in and be unnoticed by the naked eye. _

_She could pick and choose which box she wanted to open depending upon where each player was sitting. The little wax pellets would spill onto the matted floor and roll in varying directions. Some of them, inevitably, would be stepped upon by the player who was seated directly above. Some of the pellets could roll even further and the player on either side may be effected as well. It didn't really matter to Rachel. Eventually, all of the players in the game would be having trouble skating. Her original plan was to release all of the pellets at once, at a moment where the game was close in score, to time it so when a line change was particularly important the players who jumped onto the ice would fall down simultaneously allowing the opposing team to take advantage of the mishap._

Now, however, she decided it would be more fun to drop the pellets in stages throughout the game. Watch as one player at a time was suddenly slipping, sliding, skidding and falling. Of course, if they were smart, they would figure it out - eventually. But, by the time one bumbling player made it back to the bench to see what was wrong with his skates, another player would be out on the ice flailing his arms and falling on his ass. General chaos will ensue upon the players bench, effectively damaging their cohesiveness as a team.

This would still be fun.

After watching Jared and Gary tossing Marcus into the dumpster and laughing it up. Rachel thought they really deserved another opportunity to learn humility.

**To Be Continued.**

_I know this was a little moody but I thought it would be unrealistic to have Rachel be completely unaffected by what happened to her. The cracks are showing a bit but she has a strong support system. _

_The next chapter will include the last two scenes of Act II in Rachel's Play. Act II, Scene IV: Ice Capades and Also Act II, Scene V: Mission Mutants. It's already mostly written and much longer. I hope to have it up by mid-week but will make no promises. My Job has taken over my life lately and I'll do my best to move this along._

_Thanks so much to those of you who continue to read and review...I so appreciate your thoughts and always heed the advice of those of you who are willing to give it. :)_


	27. Send In The Clowns

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Okay, so I didn't aim for hilarity in this chapter. Parts of it are light and humor filled but I'm still dealing with some of Rachel's residual issues of Stephanie's attack, which are, inevitably, going to affect her approach to her life and her Play. Sorry about the mistakes, I'll be cleaning them up._

**Chapter XXVII "Send In The Clowns."**

**Act II, Scene IV: Ice Capades**

(McKinley High Titans vs. Hillsdale High Hornets)

_**First Period **_

**"Oh My God Todd, what the **_**Hell**_** is wrong with you?" **

Mr. Simmons was screaming at the top of his lungs.

Gary Todd leapt over the boards and onto the ice during a standard line change near the end of the first period. He dug the edge of his left skate into the ice propelling himself into the fast moving game. When he dug the edge of his right skate into the ice, to complete the strong forward stride, his skate skidded out beneath him sending him into a dazzling dive.

The dramatic belly flop shocked the rowdy crowd into stunned silence. As his body scraped and skidded across the ice out of control, he stuck out his stick in an attempt to slow his progression, tripping the oncoming puck handler.

**Tweet! **"The penalty goes to number 4, Todd, two minutes for tripping." The referee announced into the little microphone that was clipped onto his shirt collar.

The boy was laying on the ice where he finally skidded to a stop. He whined at the referee, "But it was an accident."

The ref simply stared the boy down.

"There's something on my skate dammit!"

**Tweet! **"Technical. Five minutes for misconduct."

Deciding it wasn't worth getting tossed out of the game, Gary accepted his punishment. After getting up on wobbly legs he attempted to skate his way to the box of shame. It was like watching a toddler about to take his very first steps. The tiniest of movements left him floundering, flailing his arms, and whirling his stick in spastic circles - all the while his skates were sputtering frantically below.

Some of the fans were chuckling, there were utterings of, "Oops," and, "WhooPs," and one frustrated soul who thought the boy was doing it on purpose shouted out,-

"Get off the friggin' ice, you already got seven minutes in the box!"

Poor Gary, he skidded and slipped, then fell one last time before finally crawling on hands and knees into the penalty box. He took off his helmet and gloves, whipping them onto the floor before desperately searching the edges of his skates to discover the cause of his sudden ineptitude.

The temperature in the arena wasn't cold enough to freeze the tiny pellets. When a player stepped upon the little bead; the sticky wax squished into the slightly concave portion of the blade, compromising the skaters ability to push against the ice with proper resistance. Just one pellet in the right place upon the blade would make the skater unstable. Several pellets in the right place along the length of the blade would make the skater a _Sideshow Attraction_.

Rachel's little black boxes were each filled with fifty wax bb's: it was _guaranteed_ that each player would step on more than one pellet. Also, after about thirty seconds of direct exposure to the surface of the ice, the wax _would_ finally freeze and fall off the blade, leaving only a sticky residue behind. Upon returning to the bench to inspect what was wrong with his skates; there wasn't any evidence to to be seen - leaving the player completely flummoxed.

"Mr. Simmons _SWORE_." Jennifer Paulson whispered in a scandalized tone to her mother.

"He said, **HELL!**" The little girl exclaimed in a voice that was almost as loud as the frustrated hockey coach. Mrs. Paulson quickly covered the girls mouth with a mitten covered hand, all the while chuckling at her daughters indignation.

The Glee Club was, once again, seated behind the Cheerios. Each of them prepared to fully enjoy the game without the pressures of wreaking havoc. Kurt and Mercedes were laughing hysterically at the oafishness of Gary Todd.

"I think Gary missed his calling. Too bad the auditions for _**I**_ _**think**_ _**I **__**can't **__**dance **_are over for this season!" Kurt snickered while Mercedes chortled before contributing her two cents. "Do you think he learned it from Finn?" Snort!, Peals of laughter..!

Rachel was seated next to Tina; they were both giggling at the snarky commentary of their fellow glee clubbers. Tina didn't know why, but a little shiver ran up her spine when she met the twinkly brown eyed gaze of her friend.

A feeling of deja vu crept over the Goth girl's senses. The atmosphere was charged with a certain excited energy; it seemed to crackle in the air and hover above the little figure sitting next to her. The shenanigans on the ice were eerily similar to those that occurred on the day of the football game. She eyed her diva friend suspiciously, but refrained from saying anything to her as the first period ended without further mishap. The Titans were in the lead with a score of 2 to 1.

_**Second Period**_

The second period began with much excitement. On the very first face off, Jeremy Miller slapped the puck past the Hornets left defensemen, suckered their goalie and tucked the puck rather gently into the corner of the net.

"_SCORE!_" Was shouted loudly by the excited crowd. The hockey players on the bench were celebrating the neat move their Captain performed along with their ecstatic fans. They were pounding their sticks against the boards and yelling. "Whoop. Whoop. Whoop." The score was now 3 to 1.

The Cheerios joined the fans and team by starting one of their spelling cheers.

"Give me a W, _"W,"... _"Give me a H, _"H,"..._Give me a O, _"O,"..._Give me a O, _"O,"..._Give me a P, _"P,"..._

_"What's it spell?"_

_"WHOOP!"_

_"What's it spell?"_

_"WHOOP!" "WHOOP!" "WHOOP!"_

Rachel admired her girlfriend as she jumped up and down amidst the cluster of Red and Black and White clad girls. Quinn's chest was heaving from exertion, her pleated red skirt was flapping enticingly, and her cheeks were flushed with a healthy blush. Rachel's heart filled up with warmth; Quinn was endearingly cute while wearing pink ear muffs. She smiled, one last time, while watching the Cheerios work the crowd before focusing her thoughts on the task at hand.

It was time for a different kind of Cheer to be shouted. She pulled the remote out of her pocket and punched in a number code, nodded her head with satisfaction, then sat back to enjoy the show.

Less than a moment later the very first collision occurred. The third line leapt over the boards in mid play as the first line hastily departed the ice. Adam Renyolds, the right wing, didn't complete a single gliding stride; like Wiley Coyote, his skates were twirling beneath, but all he could manage was to hover in place - his stick and arms were flapping like pinwheels.

Several feet away, the center, Casey Crenshaw was performing a similar dance. Together they dazzled the crowd with their display of identical foolery. Until, finally, the spinning of their wobbling axis' collided, flinging both boys backwards onto their padded backsides.

"Oops," "Oh,oh," Snicker..., "Oh My God"..., "Whoopsy,"... Giggle..., "Oh Geeze"... "What the fu...-"

Meanwhile, the opposing team was heading into Titan territory with a noticeable 5 on 3 player advantage.

"_SCORE!_" Was shouted a second later by the excited fans of the visiting Hornets. The score was 3 to 2.

Coach Simmons was beside himself, jumping up and down, screaming unintelligibly at the boys who were crabbing and clawing, skidding and falling their way back to the bench.

Rachel decided to allow the next line to go out unhampered and build up the suspense a bit. She would let them have this next shift on the ice to settle back down. Besides, she wanted the _first_ line to be the targets of her next move. Not that she held anything against Jeremy. She rather liked the boy and considered him a friend now. It was just his bad luck to be stuck on a line with Gary Todd. Also, Jared Paulson was due to go out on the next defensive line change. She intended to get Todd and Paulson at the same time. She intended to get that pair for the rest of the game as a matter of fact.

Her formula looked like this: 60 little black boxes x 50 = 3000. wax bb pellets. 20 players. 150 pellets per player, spread out among 3, 20 minute periods.

However, she had held back in the first period so she had plenty of spares for the second and third. She loved the line rotations. The boys were constantly shuffling from left to right across the benches; allowing Rachel to target them wherever they happened to be sitting. She knew, of course, that some of the pellets would roll around, that the other players would get caught up as well, but not nearly so bad as Jared and Gary - besides, they were _all_ guilty of dumpster tossing. Revenge was not sweet, nor was it particularly humble this evening. She was, as a matter of fact, serving it up "cold." Although, she was very aware the sentiment behind the statement was not intended literally.

She shrugged her shoulders indifferently, grinned her mischievous grin, pulled out her little remote, which looked like a mini display for a video game nerd and punched the pertinent numbers into the keypad.

**Second Period intermission.**

"We have the pleasure of a little entertainment during our second period intermission."

Brad, the glee club's piano guy announced to the stadium. Just seven minutes before the third period was about to begin, he greeted the Titan fans, who were somewhat disgruntled by the goings on at this game.

Most of them were focusing on what was happening at the McKinley benches. Sue Sylvester was directing her private spy Guy, Tinker, to inspect the the mats and floor surrounding the players benches. By the looks upon their faces they discovered something. Sue nodded her head at Tinker, stomped out, only to return a few moments later dragging a frightened custodian by the collar. He was carrying a broom and dust pan. She shouted at the poor man, all the while pointing an irritated finger at the floor. He immediately started sweeping the mats, cringing the whole time, as Sue Sylvester folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot while making sure he did the job he was paid to do.

Rachel watched this little drama unfold while silently preparing herself to sing. She was going to be the entertainment that ushered in the final period of play. Sweeping the floor was a good idea but would not be effective. She still had 36 boxes of pellets to let loose. If she didn't know any better, she would swear that Sue Sylvester intentionally goofed up that search and seizure. No one could be that dumb? Right? Not even Tinker could be that dumb? They didn't even move the benches, much less look underneath them.

Something wasn't right about this picture but Rachel wasn't going to complain. Even if they had discovered her row of little black boxes, not a single one of them would have a print or anything useful that could be traced back to her or her _associates_ (Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Puck). Still, why was Sue trying so hard to _not_ discover the truth?

The opening chords to the song she was about to sing interrupted her thought process.

"Tonight, please enjoy this special performance by the Captain of the Glee Club at McKinley High. Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Rachel Berry."

Rachel was standing near the top of the stadium, just a few feet away from Brad and the Organ. The lights were dimmed in the arena and a single spotlight singled her out to the crowd. They clapped a bit apprehensively, almost shyly, as this wasn't a normal occurrence during a hockey game intermission. There were even a couple grumbles by some of the stauncher hockey enthusiasts. Once particularly disgruntled fan shouted loud enough for the whole of the crowd to hear.

"This ain't a fuckin' Broadway play, this is a hockey game!"

Hisses of displeasure could be heard at his vulgarity and rudeness. They were quickly followed by a not so subtle reprimand by the Cheerleading Coach.

"Buster, you just used a very offensive profanity in the midst of a high school audience. An audience filled with impressionable, innocent ears! You will get your useless piece of _White Trash_ bottom out of that seat and out of this arena before I count to five. Or, you will seriously regret the day your mother dropped you on your head; that moment when comprehension dawned, that she had birthed a _Yellow bellied, Red Necked Sloth_."

"ONE," Sue held up her fist, she used her fingers to help enumerate her count, "TWO," ... Her index finger was joined by her middle finger...

**..."THREE,"** The crowd joined in.

**"FOUR," **The Red Necked Sloth was running for his life toward the nearest exit. The fans hooted and cheered, Sue took a bow before pointing up to the top of the arena to remind them all of the forthcoming performance.

Santana Lopez arranged this part of the _Scene, _earlier in the week by suggesting to Mr. Simmons that it would go a long way in repairing the relationship between the hockey team and the the glee club if he allowed them to perform at intermission. He shrugged his shoulders at the tiny Cheerio and nodded his head in agreement. "If your Coach don't mind, then I don't care neither. Just don't interrupt in the middle of the game like ya did last time!"

Rachel was dressed warmly and simply for this planned impromptu performance. She wore a black beret, with a black turtleneck sweater to keep her throat and neck warm. Her tight fitting skinny jeans were tucked into knee high boots; she topped the costume off with a tightly fitting black (faux) leather waistcoat. Her dark silky hair, combined with the depth of that doe eyed gaze, captivated the crowd in mere seconds. She took a deep breath and began to sing a well known number from _A Little Night Music_.

_Isn't it rich?_

That first line started in her lower velvety register; she drew the last word out allowing it to echo through the stadium. You could hear a pin drop as every person held their breath. They were captured with one richly resonating line, held by a note which hummed throughout the whole arena, and thrummed within their stolen hearts.

_Are we a pair?_

Rachel gripped the microphone tightly and gestured a sweeping wave to the whole audience with her free hand, including them, inviting them to join her in this intimate moment.

_Me here at last on the ground,_

_You in mid-air._

The next phrase showed off her ability to dance flawlessly through her lower range into the beautifully high and clear notes, before dropping again into the sultry low smooth tones.

_Send in the clowns._

_Isn't it bliss?_

_Don't you approve?_

_One who keeps tearing around,_

_One who can't move._

_Send in the clowns._

_Just when I'd stopped opening doors,_

_Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,_

_Making my entrance with usual flair,_

_Sure of my lines,_

_No one is there._

She dipped her head sadly, that rich mane of dark hair hiding her expressions, leaving only her frail figure to convey her grief at the injustice of life. Getting into the role, acting out the part, she shared her sadness with the whole of the stadium. Finally discovering, understanding, what she really wanted - only to be denied when she sought to claim it rightfully.

Her singing was having the desired affect on the audience. They were with her, they were one with the moment and suddenly the irony of the song she chose seemed in bad taste to the little diva. The joke was on her. This didn't have to mean anything. Anything at all in relation to this stupid game or the hockey players. They _were_ clowns and _jerks_ but she didn't have to be one of them. She was furious with herself for doing this. Using her talent to rub in their faces, in the midst of a practical joke. No! She could do better.

All of these thoughts were rifling through her consciousness at warp speed as she segued into the next verse. Clenching her fist, she strove to put her whole heart into the rest of the performance. Make it a _true_ gift. Eat a little humble pie of her own for just now - give without the expectation. Give because she could, because sometimes; people gave of themselves without conditions.

_isn't it rich?_

_isn't it queer?_

_losing my timing this early_

_in my career._

_And where are the clowns?_

_There ought to be clowns._

Her emotion and intensity climbed with each stanza and the audience was mesmerized, rapt, swallowed up by the tiny diva's ability to expose her soul; carry every note to its fulfillment, wring every ounce of passion out of every phrase.

_Don't you love farce?_

_My fault I fear._

_I thought that you'd want what I want._

_Sorry my dear._

_But where are the clowns?_

_Quick, send in the clowns._

Her deep brown eyes were full of glimmering sadness, they shimmered with unshed tears as she sang the last two lines. She pointed to herself, clutched her hand into a fist and thumped it against her heart with absolute sorrow.

_Don't bother, _

_They're Here._

Rachel collapsed upon her knees as she drug out that final long, pure high note; it seemed to last forever.

The audience was awestruck and silent for several seconds. Many of the spectators were openly weeping, overwhelmed with the raw emotion and beauty of Rachel's performance. It took a moment for the fans to come back to themselves, to return to the here and now, to realize that they had been treated to something _Special_. Something unique. Something no one else would ever get to see again, hear again, experience... ever again. It happened in bits and pieces, this realization, but once it sunk in the whole of the stadium was on their feet. Cheering, whistling, clapping and stomping their feet.

Oh. My. God.

Was all that Quinn could think as she raced up to the top of the arena. By the time she made it to the place where Rachel had seemed to faint; her girlfriend was back on her feet, taking a shy and awkward bow while Brad supported her with a strong arm around her shoulder.

She didn't have much time to recover, nor resolve her feelings about her performance and what it meant in relation to the Scene of her Play. The show must go on. She had made a poor choice by inserting _herself _into the actual Scene but that did not mean she should quit before she was finished.

She really needed to get a grip on her flair for making _everything_ overly dramatic. Quinn was having an overprotective conniption and Rachel concluded, with dismay, that they were probably going to be spending a good portion of their time this evening arguing. UGH!

**Third Period**

Rachel was using a strange little_ "Bluberry Planner."_ That's what she called it anyway, in response to Tina's query. The device didn't look like anything Tina had seen before, and neither did the game she was playing on the vid screen. It was a rather boring looking video game.

Just a bunch of little square boxes, some of them were marked inside with an X. Every couple minutes Rachel would pull the gameboy (or whatever it was?) out of her pocket and stare at it for a few seconds, she would then glance at the hockey game but wasn't really watching the players on the ice. She would stare at the players on the benches curiously, nod her head absently before focusing back on her video game. By which, the only action that seemed to be required was to punch, seemingly random numbers onto the keypad. A little red light would flicker in the corner of the screen, a clown face would flash a creepy smile before chuckling, "Ha, Ha, Ha."

The only noticeable change that occurred upon the vid screen was another little box would have an X in it. Was it some sort of weird, one player tic, tac, toe? But there wasn't any O's to go along with the X's!

Tina also noticed something else; every time Rachel initiated a move on her video game, a moment later a McKinley player was floundering upon the ice.

_**"Whoop, Whoop, **__**WHOOP ...aaaaaaaannnnd...Whoopsy!" **_

Was shouted by the mob of hockey fans as Jared Paulson finally succumbed to the inevitable. He did make a valiant effort to remain standing but the centripetal force, from the unintentional spins he performed, finally sent him flying into the boards at optimum speed.

The crowd was really getting into it again tonight. Hockey fans were brutal. They appeared to be sympathetic in the first period when a couple of the guys lost their balance and fell. The second period they got _really pissed_ and grumbly, but now - it was the third period and the game had turned into a romp; leaving the disappointed fans nothing to cheer for except the weirdly random but wildly entertaining skating mishaps. McKinley had the lead at the beginning until most of the players seemed to forget how to skate. The score was 14 to 3 and the McKinley Titans were getting slaughtered.

Oh Hell! Tina knew Rachel wasn't playing a video game. She knew that Rachel was playing, _**"Let's Fuck With The Hockey Team**_._**" **_Her little _gameboy_ toy, was literally a "_let's toy with the boys_" puppet master device. How she was actually doing it was beyond Tina's grasp, but at the moment she didn't care. What she really wanted was to punch a number into that keypad herself - so she could be a part of Rachel's team.

Tina glanced side eyed at her sneaky friend, who just happened to be ogling the Cheerio's at the moment. Well, one particular Cheerio. Quinn's ear muffs had fallen off and she was bending over to pick them up; displaying her shapely bottom unabashedly. Rachel was wearing a naughty little smirk, which soon turned into a wide grin with a full on blush as Quinn had spun around and caught her staring.

Tina thought that now would be the perfect time to ask the little diva if she could join the fun.

"Could I play your video game Rachel?"

The question was asked with an openness that tugged at Rachel's heart. Tina smiled warmly and tilted her head sideways, curiously, watching Rachel's response to her true question.

Tina wasn't asking to play a video game. Tina was asking to be trusted with Rachel's secret. Tina had been her first real friend among the glee club members. She chose to sit next to Rachel in the Choir room when no one else would.

Rachel nodded assuredly, then smiled at her shy and quiet friend. She handed the remote to Tina and looked up at the score board. There was three minutes left in the game, the score was 14 to 3. They may as well finish this Scene with a bang.

"Do you see all the empty boxes on the screen Tina?"

"Uh huh"

"All you have to do is count from left to right. Each box represents a number from one to sixty."

And so, Rachel explained her video game to Tina Cohen Chang. Tina counted and punched in numbers. The little Red light in the corner of the screen flickered, the evil clown face flashed its creepy smile and chuckled "Ha, Ha, Ha," 22 times before she was finished.

**TWEET! **The referee blew his whistle for an icing violation.

The two teams skated back to the other side of the rink for the face off. Mr. Simmons decided to change the lines for this final few minutes of the game. He wanted to have his first line on the ice. Maybe they could get one last goal before this nightmare fiasco was concluded. What in Holy Hell? He couldn't figure out what the _Fuck_ was going on and he didn't give a damn anymore. He just wanted this game to be over.

"Miller's line get on the ice." The coach shouted down the players bench. The boys were shaking their heads in denial and pointing at the floor. The mats had come alive, they were swarming with tiny black beads, crawling and rolling in every direction.

"I don't give a crap about your damned excuses." The Coach yelled at the top of his lungs, get on the friggin' ice and finish this fricken game!"

Very reluctantly, the boys ushered themselves through the little door at the end of the bench. They were no longer leaping over the boards during line shifts - for fear of the landings they might make.

As soon as Jeremy Miller, Gary Todd, and Stevie Bishop stepped onto the ice they went down like stubborn bowling pins. Each of them spinning in different directions, wobbling to and fro, before toppling over in the wake of Rachel's final _Strike._

"Oh,oh"... "Ooops",... "Whoops"...

And the Cheerios finished the game with one last cheer.

"Give me a W, _"W,"... _"Give me a H, _"H,"..._Give me a O, _"O,"..._Give me a O, _"O,"..._Give me a P, _"P,"..._Give me a S, _"S,"..._Give me a Y, _"Y,"..._

_"What's it spell?"_

_"WHOOPSY!"_

_"What's it spell?"_

_"WHOOPSY!"_

_"What's it spell?"_

_**"WHOOPSY!"**_

Brad filled in the background sound with the soft and subtle opening chords of _Send In The Clowns._

**To Be Continued**

Send in the Clowns belongs to Stephen Sondheim, no copyright infringement intended.

_I intended to complete Act II, Scene V: Mission Mutants in this chapter but it just got way too long. The final scene of Act II will be completed in the next chapter._ _I hope you're all still out there. This whole piece ended up being so much longer and more involved than I originally intended. At times I feel like throwing in the towel. But, there are a handful of people who continue to review and support this story. I so appreciate and LOVE YOU as it really helps to motivate me. I really want Rachel to finish her Play. Thank you all so much!_


	28. Punking The Principal

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

**Chapter XXVIII. Punking the Principal**

**Rachel, Quinn, Judy, Hiram and Leroy.**

_Wednesday evening after the game._

_..._

"Oh my God child, you are an _Angel_!"

Judy exclaimed from the living room as Rachel and Quinn entered the foyer of the Berry's modest home. The girls, who were attempting to remove their mitts, beanies, earmuffs, scarfs, coats and boots; stopped in the midst of their winter de-garbing to look at Judy agog. What was she talking about? Or, rather, whom was she addressing? Neither girl could be classified as such and both of them were well aware of that fact; especially considering the evening they just concluded at the ice arena.

Their unasked questions were answered a moment later when Rachel was scooped into Judy's arms and squeezed until Quinn decided she needed rescuing. Poor Rachel, she was fake smiling over Judy's shoulder but her eyes had that look of a terror Quinn had only seen once before. When Jacob Ben Israel asked to be her date for the Halloween dance. Quinn snickered before stepping in to disengage her mother from her girlfriend.

"Mother, you are embarrassing my girlfriend! That is nearly an impossible accomplishment but I believe you have succeeded. Please, let her loose so I can tease her." Judy laughed and reluctantly released her grasp upon a very confused and yes, red faced Rachel.

"Rachel darling, your performance at the hockey game was the most beautiful, heart wrenching, masterful piece of art I've ever had the pleasure to experience...why didn't you tell us you were going to perform at the game?" She gestured at Hiram and Leroy, who had gotten off the sofa in the living room to stare at their only child with curious, but also hurt filled expressions.

"I..I..I didn't think it was that important...it was just a stupid hockey game and the acoustics in the ice arena are atrocious." Rachel was panicking, her deeply expressive eyes were desperate as they pleaded with her Dad and Daddy to understand. They never missed a single performance of hers. Prior to this one exception, Rachel made certain her fathers would attend every event - she would remind them multiple times of the DTV. Date, Time and Venue. They were reminded so often they developed the acronym, which made for an easier progression through Rachel's marathon lectures. Lectures that included the importance of punctuality, traffic reports, and downloading Google maps. So, now they were asking their precious baby girl, pleading with their big, sad, puppy eyes. _Why? Why didn't you tell us?_ _What is going on?_

How did Judy find out and why didn't Quinn know that her mother was at the game?

The simple truth was: Rachel didn't want her fathers at the game because of the ICE CAPADES. She didn't want them to see the hijinx at the game and wonder or worry about her involvement. The complicated truth was: Rachel's Daddy's knew she was pulling practical jokes but they had no idea the lengths she had gone through to to make them happen.

No idea that some of the things she had done were, in fact, illegal. The Breaking and Entering. The Blackmailing. The Forgery. The Cyber Theft. The Terroristic Threatening. The creating of a controlled substance in her lab. The injecting of that controlled substance into unsuspecting students with a dart. A dart that was fired from a gun. A gun that was purchased from an unsavory person. An unsavory person whom she had met in Columbus during the summer - in a revoltingly dirty back alley.

All of these things sounded _really bad _when you compiled them into a list. Once she started explaining the details of one prank to her parents, she would have to explain them all and Rachel didn't think her Dad could handle hearing that whole list. Her Daddy Hiram would probably cope but her Dad Leroy could very well end up in the hospital. So, Rachel didn't tell them she was going to be the entertainment at the McKinley Hockey Game. She wanted to spare them further worry and heartache. Everything was getting just too complicated. The "Schmanson" incident and the aftermath was still ongoing. Rachel suddenly felt like her life was falling to pieces.

"Why were you at the game mother?" Quinn decided to come to Rachel's rescue with the pointed question. She arched a curious eyebrow at her mother. Sports of any sort were not of interest to Judy Fabray.

"I wanted to watch you Cheer sweetheart. I have been abysmally unsupportive of you throughout your high school career. I now have the time and opportunity to make the effort and I wanted to see you. I..I didn't tell you I was going because I didn't want to spoil anything for you; make you uncomfortable or burden you with pressure. I have to say, I am so proud of both you girls. I had so much fun watching the two of you and now I regret that I didn't invite Hiram and Leroy to join me. Had I known that Rachel was performing I would have made certain that they came with me."

Quinn was dumbstruck by her mothers admission, speechless for a very long moment by which Rachel took to be a good sign. Quinn never expected her mother to make an extra effort for her. It was enough for Quinn that she had a place to _hang her hat_, so to speak. Or, that's how she pretended she felt. Never wanting to get too attached to the idea that her mother was really stepping up to the role; wanting to be a part of Quinn's life in the capacity she always should have.

"You really came to watch me Cheer?" Quinn's voice had gone so soft, aching with the need to believe it could really be true. Everyone in the room inched closer so they could hear. In that moment the room became an intimate place for a _family _to bond. In that moment it didn't matter that the Daddy's didn't get a full explanation - their daughter had been through a terrible time of late and they could let it go for now. In that moment a mother had humbled herself so her daughter could stand tall. In that moment, that precious moment, something that seemed irrevocably broken had come a little closer to being healed.

"Yes Quinnie, I _really _wanted, so much, to see you Cheer. And it was wonderful, it made me very happy to see you having so much fun, so natural, beautiful, graceful... joyful. I dare say this has been the best night I've had in years my sweet baby girl..." Judy gazed lovingly at Quinn and Rachel, she included them both as she finished her thought. "You darling Angels."

Who could disagree with that?

**Rachel and Quinn**

Rachel loved the concave space just between Quinn's shoulder blades. She eased up behind the taller girl who was preoccupied with rinsing her hair. The shower setting was set to mist. It steamed the glass door and created a cloudy fog within the spacious tiled stall.

Sliding slim arms around that smooth toned waist, eliciting a surprised, "gasp" she ran her tongue along the tightened sinewy skin as it flexed instinctively over the outline of Quinn's clavicle. Sneaking into the shower with Quinn was one of her favorite things. Right up on the list along with puppy dog tails and raindrops on roses. Planting full, voluptuous lips squarely in the center of her girlfriends back she nipped a trail up to the nape of Quinn's neck before descending slowly down the length of her spine. Nibbling, sucking, biting and licking she marked a lazy trail that had the Cheerio squirming with desire before she rested her cheek upon that tremendous, er... shapely... um... _her lovely assets_. Yes those were the words Rachel was looking for.

After recapping the evening for their parents they were given the news that the nightly sleepovers were coming to a halt after the upcoming weekend. Leroy and Judy were adamant that they get back to their regular schedule. Meaning, during the week they would only be allowed Wednesday night together. On the weekends the girls spent their Friday evening at Rachel's and their Saturday evening at Quinn's. That way they got to spend quality time in both households. After the 'Schmanson' incident, all three parents aggreed to allow the girls to be together whenever they wanted in support of Rachel's needs. But, it was decided by the adults, that continuing the pattern would be detrimental to the girls studies.

Rachel intended to take full advantage of their remaining _free_ sleepovers. Which is why she was seducing her girlfriend in the shower.

"If you think you're going to distract me by getting me _hot_ you're deluding yourself." Quinn muttered breathlessly as Rachel circled the dimples at the base of her spine with a teasing tongue. Quinn could feel that little sneak smile just before forming a kiss for each of her _'tight little Cheerio butt cheeks'_.

"Hmm?"

Was uttered amusedly in response to Quinn's statement. Lithe fingers were sliding into silky warm wet spaces. Hard nubs and soft round mounds pressed against her back. Rachel glided her left arm around Quinn's abdomen, she stroked a feathery pattern that headed north until she stopped to pinch a rock hard nipple.

The shower continued to spray its warm mist, it spattered a constant pattern against the tiled floor. Rachel guided Quinn away from the spray and gently pushed her against the far wall, all the while continuing to stroke her girlfriend with gentle, persistent fingers. She pressed her tiny frame snugly against Quinn's back. With her left arm snugged around her from behind Rachel pulled their bodies close, she caressed and squeezed creamy mounds, occasionally pinching a nipple; all the while her right hand was stroking Quinn's hot center from behind. She was teasing, she was taunting, she was going to make Quinn beg. Quinn thrust her hips back against Rachel's hand, urging her girlfriend to get on with it.

"I thought you didn't want to be distracted?" Rachel purred into Quinn's ear, she nipped the lobe before latching on to the soft sensitive spot just below. That spot that drove Quinn nuts.

"...uh huh... yes... Rach... please... yes... distra...uhnnnn..." And Quinn lost her ability to speak as Rachel slid her fingers deep inside.

Some little time later.

"I hope you know that you are still in trouble." Quinn murmured as she licked the tender inside of Rachel's upper thigh. They finally made it to the bedroom, barely taking the time to dry themselves before Quinn shoved Rachel onto her back upon the bed. They didn't even bother to pull the covers back with Quinn's greedy need to punish her recalcitrant girlfriend.

"Of...c..c..course. " Rachel stuttered as Quinn's mouth sampled her sensitive core - circling, nipping and nudging. And then, with one enticingly long stroke - she ran the flat of her tongue, grazing, oh so slowly over the quivering hard bud; before suddenly sucking it into the hot inferno.

"oh..oh...aaahhh...gaaahh..."

Rachel knew that catching Quinn in the shower would put off any _arguing_ that might have happened_._ They wouldn't have the time in the morning so Quinn would have to let it go. They didn't need to talk _everything_ to death. Sure, she almost fainted at the game but she was fine. Or, she would be in time. Her heart swelled with the knowledge that Quinn wanted so fiercely to protect and care for her.

Quinn was draped across her body, her head pillowed on Rachel's chest with their ams and legs entangled. Her golden lashes fluttered oh so slightly and her lips were curled into a peaceful, serene smile.

Quite simply, she adored the gentle, sensitive, gorgeous girl she held within her arms. They were still learning each others boundaries and melting points; all of which would also take time. Rachel couldn't wait to learn it all...

...everything about her charming Cheerio... her angel baby...Quinn.

With those flittering thoughts, slowly settling amongst the others that swam in swarms through a mind chock-full of shiny dreams and bright ideas, Rachel finally drifted off to sleep.

...

**Act II, Scene V: "Mission Mutants"**

**Mr. Figgins and Emma Pilsbury**

_Early Friday morning, WAY before first bell. _

The Hazmat suit fit him just a bit too snugly across the shoulders. His extra time practicing the _KUTHU VARISAI_ had straightened his posture and toned his deltoids. He was a fine speciman of a man for someone approaching his mid-life. He could get through one last day in this hostile environment. Just one more day before his extended leave of absence would commence. Five minutes after receiving a very _informative_ email from _An_ _Anonymous Admirer_; he had taken measures to preserve himself. He would not go down in the midst of a _Secret_ Mutant war.

Pulling on the gas mask and checking the seal to make sure there were no leaks he stepped outside his office door, shuffled past his secretaries (shudder) empty desk and slipped into the quiet corridors of the school he had come to love. Soon, he would be gone but not be _gotten_. Soon, he would be safely hidden within the bunker of his _Secret_ bomb shelter out at Lake Loraine. Two months would be a reasonable amount of time for things to reach their boiling point, erupt, and finally, when they needed him the most; he would return like a hero to save the day. He would mend the shattered remnants, pick up the scattered pieces and rebuild the reputation of the finest High School in all of Ohio! Figgins would persevere.

His first order of business, however, before his timely retreat would be _that_ _Germ_. He was well prepared to meet Ms. Emma Pilsbury on her own turf - knowing he would find her in her office at this early hour. She was always the first among the staff to arrive and prepare for the day. She would be scrubbing away at some invisible stain with a toothbrush, muttering nonsense; all the while polluting the very air he breathed with her deadly bacterium.

_Emma Pillsbury is A Giant Microbe (I know that's an oxymoron. You probably don't know what an oxymoron is so nevermind). Yes, she is a walking germ, which is why she is so obsessed with sanitation. Those sprays and cleaning materials are not what she purports them to be. They are all 'anti - anti bacterial agents.' Meaning, they protect her from getting wiped out by the real stuff. She also has a highly developed skill known as glamouring. Her real appearance is frightening to behold. If you look at her from your peripheral vision you will be able to see her true form. Don't say I didn't warn you. Be prepared to run if she catches you attempting to see her true self. It might be a good idea to wear a Bio Hazard suit when talking to her, or at the very least a gas mask. _

He shuffled along in his moon boots and bright yellow jump suit, wearing latex gloves and a gas mask he borrowed from Sue Sylvesters office. Yes. It was just as he expected. That _Germ_ was spraying her foul cocktail of _anti-anti bacteria_ around the boundaries of her work station. She had just finished dousing the far corner when Mr. Figgins entered her territory.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat.

Ms. Pilsbury spun around in surprise. She blinked her huge brown eyes; once, twice, thrice - trying to confirm that her vision was not suddenly compromised. A canary suited, gas mask wearing Principal Figgins was not what she expected at 6:oo a.m. Not while preparing her office for the incoming wave of unstoppable, adaptable, agents of disaster and disease.

His sudden appearance and the attire he was wearing frightened her incredibly nervous, germ obsessed, sensibilities.

"Dear God Mr. Figgins why are you dressed like that? Is there an Anthrax threat? Ebola? Why hasn't the alarm been sounded? Why aren't we on lock down? Her big cow eyes were pleading for him to put her _'so called fears'_ to rest.

He raised a hand to halt her progression, she was starting to inch her way in his direction and he could not allow her near him.

"You have not fooled me Ms. Emma Pilsbury. I know all about you and the foulness that you have spread throughout this school. I am also aware that I am outnumbered. I am wearing this Hazmat suit so you can not contaminate me. Beware, Ms. Emma Pilsbury. I will be leaving tomorrow, but I shall return to disinfect this school of the rampant pests which now infest these very hallways and classrooms."

Poor Emma. Sweet Emma Pilsbury was beside herself with terror and confusion. Was it Anthrax or not? Why couldn't he just tell her plainly? - so she could prepare a preventative cocktail. Ebola was just as bad. The symptoms of both were hideous and vile. How awful to die looking like a pock ridden, festering sack of skin and bones - leaking and oozing from gaping pustules. Dear God! She had to do something.

"Mr. Figgins, I'm still unclear as to what you are trying to communicate. What type of virulent phage has the school has been exposed to? What preventative measures have been taken sir? I could be of much help in this area. I'm sure you are aware of my condition. Her voice softened as she spoke those last words, she blinked her eyelashes and focused on the principal with soulful concern. She was trying to reach him with the calm of her training and not the hysteria of her compulsions.

"No! Stop talking. You cannot glamorize me Ms. Emma Pilsbury. I am fully informed of all your tricks."

Emma decided to close the distance between the two of them. Use her training and skill to create an intimate space between them. Maybe he would calm down and tell her what was really going on.

"Stay back." Mr. Figgins shouted, he made a cross with his index fingers to keep her at bay. He knew that crosses were for Vampires but maybe it could work on _Giant Germs_ as well. He could not allow her to sashay into his peripheal vision. He could not bear to see her true form. He shuffled sideways in an effort to maintain direct eye contact with the wily Ginger _Germ_. _ She really is a pretty little pumpkin, isn't she? _Why did he think that?

Emma blinked again in surprise at his strange behavior. Perhaps Mr. Figgins has already been exposed and dementia has stolen his mind. That would mean this was a very agressive, virulent strain of _whatever! _ Dear Lord! She must remain calm while very gingerly requesting that Mr. Figgins leave her office. She wanted him gone so she could call Will. Will would know what to do. Perhaps she should just drop by his home. School would certainly be cancelled today anyway. He _would_ appreciate her thoughtfulness wouldn't he? She smiled shyly with that thought and pushed a stray lock behind her ear.

Mr. Figgins was watching Ms. Emma Pilsbury very closely. Did she just smile sweetly at him? _Very pretty little Pumpkin Ginger! _Who said That? She is using her tricks. She is glamorizing me. I have to get out of here before...before... before...the side eyed gazing...before the sashaying...

And with those final thoughts, Mr. Figgins spun on the heel of his Sponge Bob Boots and fled the clutches of the _pretty little Ginger, Pumpkin, Sweetie Pie._

"Whew!" Was whispered quietly in the wake of his departure.

**Mr. Figgins, Finn Hudson and Mrs. Bellphe**r

_Friday morning before first bell._

"But Mr. Figgins you didn't even listen to what I told you...I..I..know who the _Skunker_ is. Don't you want to call the cops an...-"

_Finn Hudson is a Dismal Abyss. He has the power to leech your mind of all of its higher thinking. Although, he is unaware of his ability. He's more of a human parasite and, unfortunately, his own intelligence doesn't increase while he's sucking your brains out. His skull echos like the Grand Canyon and it's believed that he is more of a conduit - your intelligence passes right through him at the speed of light on a direct pathway to a gargantuan wormhole in deep space. It's best for you not to talk to him at all. Two minutes into any conversation with the boy moron will have you drooling and sucking your thumb. _

"Out. Get out of my office right this minute Mr. Finn Hudson. I am having a headache. I have been listening to you for thirty seconds and that is far too long. I am not interested in having my brains take a one way trip to a _galaxy far, far away_... GET OUT OF MY OFFICE NOW!"

And with that said, Mr. Figgins bodily shoved the lumbering Lurch through his office door.

Finn was like, _totally_ confused. "Dude?" He asked out loud to no one, then shook his head to clear the cobwebs (literally). He lingered just outside of Mr. Figgins office door, scrunching his brow and squeezing his derailed brain in an effort to put it back on track. Why was Mr. Figgins acting so weird? How come he didn't want to know who the Skunker was?

"But, Mr. Figgins." Finn tried one more time to get the principal to listen to him, only to feel the breeze from the door before it slammed in his face. "Darn." Maybe he should go tell Coach Sylvester. She would believe him and be totally stoked. He wondered if he could get the Coach to give him a bunch of free hall passes as a trade? Cool. Everyone thought he was dumb. But he figured it out before anyone else did. He knew who the Skunker was and he was damned well going to get something good for being so clever. Yeah! And if Coach didn't listen to him he would go to the cops himself. He knew his rights. The Skunker was _way_ wrong to punish him for being a coward. You couldn't go to jail for being a coward...could you?

At that very moment his thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Bellpher's intercom.

"Has the Boy Moron left the premises Mrs. Bellpher?" Mr. Figgins irritation could still be felt, even through the muffled intercom speaker. Finn glanced around the office and wondered what Mr. Figgins was talking about. Where was the Premiss? What was a Premiss? And why did Mr. Figgins care more about a dumb boy than he did about the Skunker?

"Not yet sir. I'll get rid of him for you." Mrs. Bellpher pressed her little finger onto the intercom button so hard the knuckle of her finger was all white. She turned to smile at Finn. She had a scary smile and her teeth were kinda pointy. She had funny glasses too. They had rhinestones on the frame and were shaped like stretchy triangles. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and he couldn't help but think she looked like a silly cartoon character.

"Since you have so much time to waste Mr. Hudson I have a task that would occupy your idle hands. What do you say Mr. Hudson? How would you like to help me sort through all the lost and fou...-"

"Uh... um... that's okay Mrs. Bellpher, I gotta go to welding class now. Thanks anyway, bye!"

"Whew!" Was muttered through the crack of the door as Mr. Figgins watched the Brain Sucking Dismal Abyss flee from the horror of his freaky nail spitting secretary. He closed his office door and locked it. How was he going to get through this day? Just outside his door was a woman who could consume metal and regurgitate it through the process of spitting nails. She could _kill_ someone by spitting at them. She could even do it by accident if she coughed or sneezed. He could not allow himself to talk with Mrs. Bellpher except through his intercom.

_Mrs. Bellpher is a metal scrap recycle specialist. She eats any kind of metal, or alloys of metals. She has a separate stomach that melts the scraps down like a blacksmiths forge. Did you ever notice how pointy her teeth are? Anyway, her special skill is to spit nails. Yes. That's what I said; she spits nails at a force and speed ten times more powerful than a nail gun. It would be wise of you not to make her cough or laugh; oh and definitely duck if you think she's going to sneeze. _

He would spend the rest of his morning arranging his leave of absence. He only had to meet with Harley Everson after lunch to sign the papers. One more afternoon to survive and he would be safe.

Thank god his Anonymous Admirer sent him that very thoughtful warning on his private MySpace account. How did they even know about his _Secret_ MySpace account?

_Dear RandyReady Rajkumar (AKA Mr. Figgins)_

_There are some hidden truths that you should know about. Your future leadership of McKinley High School is going to come into question, and you, personally, are in grave danger. Some of the teaching staff, help staff, and a small minority of the student population have been engaged in a Mutant feud that is escalating at astonishing speed. I know you are aware that Tina Cohen Chang is a Vampire, as is her entire family. The Vampires are the least of your worries. Her family does not feed off human blood and are, for the most part, harmless and well meaning members of this community._

_The Mutants, however, are another matter. They are at war with one another and your ignorance of their true grievances has become the focus of their quest for power. One group exploits the innocents of the school for their amusement, as well as a need to establish total domination. The other group is battling these usurpers of civility and human kindness. Below is a list of those staff members and students you should be aware of. BEWARE Mr. Figgins. YOU are the pawn that is stranded in the middle of the chess board. _

_Sincerely,_

_An Anonymous Admirerer_

**Mr. Figgins**

_**Friday - Fifth Period **_

"Now Sue, just because you have some hidden powers does not make it acceptable for you to eavesdrop and spy upon your administrative superiors. The School board will not approve of this behavior. I will leave this office for fifteen minutes to make my rounds throughout the corridors. When I return I expect you to be gone. If you do not resume your natural shape I will instruct Mrs. Bellpher to have my office cleaned. I'm sure that furniture polish will not be to your liking. We also have a new model 3X _Hoover Zoomer_ vacuum cleaner - it has super duper suction power! How would you like to have your _cushion_ cleaned? Hmm? Think about _that_ the next time you decide to spy upon my meeting with Mr. Everson!"

Mr. Figgins was talking to a chair. Not just any chair but a new chair he discovered in his office after the lunch period. A chair that hadn't been in his office before the lunch hour. It was a sturdy old Captains Chair with armrests and spindles to boot. The seat cushion was upholstered with a bright red fabric that featured two white stripes running down its center. He was half tempted to sit on the chair to see if Sue would transform herself in front of him but trembled at the thought of accidentally sitting on Sue's private places. The last thing he wanted was another Sexual scandal to be aired on Jacob Ben Israel's blog. He could see it now. The caption would read: '_Prinicpal Figgins sits on Sue Sylvester's_' ACK! He cringed and shuddered with the idea, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders to straighten his suit jacket before addressing the Adidas striped chair one last time.

"Remember Sue, I know your secret now and I will be forced to report you to the board of Directors if you do not stop this juvenile behavior. When I return to my office I expect you to be gone." He shook his finger at the chair to emphasize the seriousness of his threat before stomping out of his office.

The Janitor's closet on the third floor was filled with raucous laughter. Four girls were crammed inside laughing their socks off while watching the goings on in Mr. Figgins office. Santana and Quinn were standing, looking over the shoulders of Brittany and Rachel, who were perched on bucket seats holding the laptop computer between them. Rachel's laptop was cued in to the camera she installed in Mr. Figgins office for this Operation.

"Is he for fucking real?" Santana wondered while Quinn could only shake her head with amused amazement before agreeing.

"Hook, line and sinker!, he swallowed the whole spiel."

"He _does_ believe that Tina is a Vampire so the concept of shapeshifting wouldn't be that outlandish to him." Rachel explained before bumping her shoulder into Brittany and gently urging her friend to get started on the next stage of their mission.

"You better get going Britt, you've only got fourteen minutes to get the chair. Remember to time it so he catches you leaving when he comes back in."

Rachel smiled at Brittany and kissed her cheek as her friend got up to do her bidding. Brittany was definitely the best choice to perform this task as she could float around the school wherever and whenever she wanted. No one would challenge her. Even if someone did challenge her, Brittany would simply respond with one of her non sequitur observations; effectively perplexing whomever it was that was stupid enough to try and dissuade her.

_**fourteen minutes later**_

"Hi Mr. Figgins." Brittany greeted the principal as she squeezed out of the main office carrying the _Chair_ with an air of bored indifference.

_Sue Sylvester is a Shapeshifter. She can morph into any person she touches or any animal. She can even become inanimate objects. She doesn't do that very often however, except when she wants to spy on someone. She was once a bookshelf in your office for the entire day so she could spy upon your solo sessions with the school board members. That's how she knows so much about the budget decisions and the bribes and blackmailing you engaged in. _

"Where are you going with Coach Sylvester? Ah...er... Coach Sylvester's chair?" The nervous administrator asked the unassuming Cheerio. He straightened his tie, and backed up a pace from the girl as she made an adjustment of her grip upon the Chai...r...oach.

"You had it right the first time Mr. Figgins. Coach forgets sometimes - to change back. She gets lost in memories sometimes when she becomes things. Especially woodsy things. This Chair she chose to become is made of Oak. Oak trees live a long long time and have a lot of happy memories. Coach says it's like meditating and she doesn't want to come out of her _happy tree trance_. So, every once in a while I have to search the whole school until I find her... you know, to remind her that she's really a person."

Brittany nodded at Mr. Figgins, as though the explanation she provided was perfectly reasonable.

He openly gaped at the strange girl.

_Brittany Pierce is a Telepath and an Empath. She knows what you are thinking and feeling at all times. She is also developing a latent talent for telekinesis. She can move things with her mind but has also tapped into the use of her ethereal body. She could reach into your chest from across the room and squeeze your heart until it stops beating. If you ever see her scrunching up her hand into a fist it would be wise to leave immediately._

"Okay then, nice to see you Mr. Figgins, I better get her back to the gym before sixth hour. Sometimes I just put her down in front of the class. All it takes for her to snap out of her _happy tree trance_ is the fear of having Jacob Ben Israel sit on her face. He did that one time instead of doing the regular warm up with the rest of the class. Boy, was he surprised when the Coach transformed and...-" Brittany stopped talking when she noticed that Mr. Figgins was turning a funny color.

"Are you okay Mr. Figgins? You look a little washy wispy."

She took a step closer and the poor man nearly fainted. He raised an arm to brace himself against the wall. _Thank God both of her hands are occupied, she won't be able to get at my heart. _

"Fine. I am fine Ms. Brittany Pierce. Ah... thank you very kindly for that interesting explanation. I must return to my work now." His brow was covered in sweat as he hastily retreated toward the office door. But Brittany had some parting words before she walked away with Coach Sylvester.

"You don't have to worry Mr. Figgins." Her big blue eyes were piercingly sincere. "I would never squeeze your heart..." She tilted her head to gaze at him curiously before continuing her thought. "...Or rip it out of your chest. I probably could if I really focused but that would just be mean. I don't like being mean." She bobbed her head at him again and then bounced down the hallway swinging Coach Sylvester back and forth in her arms.

Not a second later he could swear he heard her say, "Hi San, do you want to bring Coach back to the gym with me?" She was talking and smiling while she walked. Talking to and smiling at an invisible Santana Lopez.

_Santana Lopez is A Scary Invisible Ninja. She has an internal cloaking device and can also shift her molecular structure to slide right through a solid surface. Meaning, she can walk through walls and do so while completely invisible. _

Oh. My. God!

...

**Mr. Figgins and Sue Sylveste**r

"Sue, what happened to your _Red Adidas_? I know you were wearing that earlier, why are you now wearing the _Green Adidas_?"

"Had I known that the colors of my _Adidas _were so fascinating to you Figgins, I would have gifted you my, _**Sue Sylvester Sports Sexy Stripes**_ Calendar of 2011. It made the best sellers list at Barnes and Noble. Did you know a stupid _Here Kitty, Kitty_ Calendar was the only one to sell more copies?"

"But, since you asked so nicely I will tell you that Jacob Ben Israel hurled upon my Red Adidas during sixth hour. Apparently, five hundred sit-ups shortly after a lunch of Chili and Wieners was a bit too intense for the moppy headed mutant."

Figgins ears perked up at the turn of phrase that Sue had used.

"He was not on the _list_ I was given!" The pricipal blurted out before he could filter his words. _Oh oh._

Sue's eyes grew very big with the obvious slip that Figgins just uttered.

"What list Figgins? Who on Gods Gray Earth would want to put Jewfro on a list of any sort?... Well, it might be a good idea to flag the local authorities about his proclivity for peeping."

She wandered off the subject just a bit before regaining her focus. She narrowed her eyes at the man.

"What could a tree remember anyway Sue? Trees don't have brains so how could they have memories? And why do you prefer Oak? Why not Elm or Ash? Those are also hardwoods. If trees do, indeed, have memories I would imagine them to be traumatic! How can you have happy memories of being a tree when you are really just a chair? "

For the first time in her life Sue Sylvester was truly _Stumped! _

She had no comeback, no snappy retort. She had nothing. Nada. Zippo. Zilch. It took a moment but she finally recovered from the hasty departure of her sarcasm.

This was it. Sue noticed the glazed over look in Figgins eyes, the sweat around his shirt collar, and the trembling of his hands. Poor old Figgins has finally left the building and a Pod Person has taken control of the school. She didn't know if she should humor his request and play along with the insanity; or, dash back to her office to retrieve the straight jacket she always kept on hand.

She opted for the riskier, but undoubtedly more entertaining notion of hearing him out. This rambling request for Sue's enlightenment on the emotional health of 'Trees' was very intriguing to the Cheerio Coach. This had the feel of something familiar.

**To Be Continued.**

_I split this chapter in two because it was starting to run away from me and I didn't want to leave anything out. The rest will be up, hopefully, Sunday night. Act III of Rachel's Play is forthcoming. All five scenes, so I imagine that will be another eight to ten chapters._

_Thank you all for reviewing and sticking with the story. :)_

_**Sorry Everyone, I didn't finish editing so the end of this chapter won't be up for couple of days yet.** _


	29. The Sing Off

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_I think this reads a bit choppy. I will probably go back and refine it but I promised to update so here it is. Thanks so much for the great reviews. I hope you stick around to see what happens._

**Chapter XXIX. The Sing Off**

**Act II, Scene V: Mission Mutants Continued.**

_"What could a tree remember anyway Sue? Trees don't have brains so how could they have memories? And why do you prefer Oak? Why not Elm or Ash? Those are also hardwoods. If trees do, indeed, have memories I would imagine them to be traumatic! How can you have happy memories of being a tree when you are really just a chair?"_

_For the first time in her life Sue Sylvester was truly_ _Stumped! _

_She had no comeback, no snappy retort. She had nothing. Nada. Zippo. Zilch. It took a moment but she finally recovered from the hasty departure of her sarcasm._

_This was it. Sue noticed the glazed over look in Figgins eyes, the sweat around his shirt collar, and the trembling of his hands. Poor old Figgins has finally left the building and a Pod Person has taken control of the school. She didn't know if she should humor his request and play along with the insanity; or, dash back to her office to retrieve the straight jacket she always kept on hand._

_She opted for the riskier, but undoubtedly more entertaining notion of hearing him out. This rambling request for Sue's enlightenment on the emotional health of 'Trees' was very intriguing to the Cheerio Coach. This had the feel of something familiar._

**Sue Sylvester and Mr. Figgins**

Mr. Figgins was perched on the edge of his chair, wringing his hands together, completely unaware of his fractured appearance.

"Do you remember being chopped down and falling over? Only to be divided into parts that become a seat? Or a spindle? Or an armrest? What about the trees that become paper Sue? Have you ever tried to be a book? Do you feel the pain those paper pages suffered at the pulp mill? Do you retain the knowledge of the book you become? "

Sue was fairly certain that the CraZy Figgins was spouting had something to do with a certain Practical Joker. In fact, she really hoped it was true because all the fun would go out of her life if Figgins _was_ really nuts. She liked him the way he was. Stupid, gullible, and easy to manipulate. Her safest bet would be to try and answer his zany questions. Maybe she would gain some insight as to what all this tree nonsense might mean.

Sue was certain that the Chinese Vampire was in this up to her prosthetic fangs. Of course Sue agreed to MC the Sing Off for the gleeks. Anything to stick it to William Schuester. He will be beside himself when he gets his pampered behind back to work tomorrow and finds out Sue was meddling with his talentless flock of tweeting, cuckoo birds. He had the nerve to call in sick at the last minute. Who does he think he's fooling? The flu? Really William? Does he think no one will notice that the Pilsbury Gingerbread _Nut_ was out today too?

"Are you even listening to me Sue? Why are you here anyway? Didn't you find out everything you needed to know while spying on my meeting with Mr. Everson? Well, you don't have to share your _happy tree trance_ secrets with me. I was simply trying to understand something about your lifestyle."

Happy Tree Trance? Lifestyle? Spying on his meeting with Everson?

"What are you talking about Figgins? I was not spying on your meeting with Everson. I didn't even know you had a meeting with Everson." She was getting mad now. How dare he accuse Sue Sylvester of spying on him!

"Don't lie Sue I saw you in my office. I would recognize your _Red Adidas_ anywhere. I also caught Ms. Brittany Pierce carrying you out of my office. She told me how you forget to change back from your _chair form_ because you get lost in _YOUR HAPPY TREE TRANCE!"_

Mr. Figgins shouted that last part at Sue. He loosened his tie and started to pace about his office. He was pointing his finger at an empty space in front of his desk and muttering. "Right there! You were right in that spot on the carpet." He redirected his finger to Sue and waggled it in her face before continuing his rant.

_"_I know about your little Mutant war Sue. I know about _all of you_, which is why I am taking a leave of absence. Congratulations Sue, you will have the run of the school while I am gone. Just try and keep your freakish friends from tearing it to pieces."

Brittany Pierce carried her out of his office? Mutant war? Leave of absence? Now we're getting somewhere! Figgins is leaving? Because of a _Mutant war_ ? Okay Sue think. No don't think Sue just do. Do!

"I'll tell you what Figgins. I will tell you all about my _Happy Tree Trance _after the seventh hour assembly. I promised that Chang girl I would referee the gleeks Diva Sing Off in the Auditorium. We'll be cutting the seventh hour short so the student body can witness the mind numbing talents of William's performing pariahs."

Figgins started to sputter. His face became red and Sue thought he was going to choke.

"Who authorized this assembly Sue? I did not authorize this assembly!"

"You really need to lighten up on the amount of Spicy Curry you consume every week Figgins. You look like a rocket ready for lift off. Take a deep breath and calm down... that's it man... calm down!"

He hadn't really shown any signs of relaxing but Sue just plowed on as if he had.

"Now listen to me Figgins. The reason I'm here _now,_ is to get your authorization for the seventh hour assembly. But before I could even ask, you delved into my very sensitive, personal, private matters. I'll have you know that being different is not a crime and just because I haven't _come out_ in the open about my...my... my...condition."

She allowed her voice to crack and buried her face within her hands to keep him from seeing her laughter.

"Now Sue," The ire was gone from his voice. "I'm sorry that I was insensitive to your ah... condition, as you choose to call it. However, if you had not been in my office during my meeting we wouldn't be having this conversation. "

He patted her shoulder awkwardly before continuing.

"I don't see the harm in allowing the students to watch the glee club perform. It is friday afternoon after all, they will only be thinking about the upcoming weekend and not their studies. Let's go make the announcement and proceed to the auditorium."

_Finally_, Mr. Figgins thought. I have finally received confirmation that I am not going insane. Sue basically admitted that she was a _Mutant_ to me. Maybe all was not lost if he could get her to work with him. He would have to supervise this impromptu performance by the glee club, however. Some of those students had very disturbing _'conditions'. _ With that final thought he opened the top drawer of his desk, grabbed his dark sunglasses and the ear plugs that he swiped from the nurses office.

...

**Tina, Mike, Sam, Mercedes, Puck, Lauren,Brittany, Santana, Kurt, Artie**

**(sixth hour in the choir room)**

Tina Cohen Chang entered the choir room and made an announcement.

"All right everyone, you can thank me _now_ for getting you out of class."

The Goth girl was at her _Bad in Black_ best. She was wearing three inch heels, netted stockings, a leather skirt, a leather vest with the top two buttons undone displaying her ample cleavage unabashedly. Her dark cascading hair was swept up into a tiny, impossibly tight bun. Her wrists were clad in leather cuffs studded with rhinestones. Her neck was adorned with a thick choker by which the center was imbedded with an oval jewel. Everything was rich dark Black. Except for the accents, which were Blood Red; the nail polish, the earrings, the rhinestones, the lipstick, the Ruby at her throat and last but not least, the tinted contact lenses.

Holy Mother of God!

Tina paused for a moment to allow her words to settle upon her fellow gleeks, who were all preoccupied with goofing around on the various tiers throughout the choir room. For a quiet girl, Tina knew how to capture an audiences attention. She didn't raise her voice, she spoke surely, calmly and with authority. The advantage of being quiet and somewhat understated is that; when you really do have something to say, people usually stop to listen. It also didn't hurt that her costume was _hot_ enough to stop rush hour traffic.

The entire room was suddenly very quiet. Even Lauren Zizes slowly stopped munching on her animal crackers to stare vapidly at the exotic nightmare figure come to life.

"I need some victims." Tina exclaimed. She eyed them fiercely before flashing them a devilish grin.

"Dude!" " Oh...Snap!"

"Pick me baby!"... _leer..."_oof.", Lauren retracted her elbow from Pucks ribs before replying with her standard. "Interesting."

Clap,clap..."Yay!"

"Hmmph!..I was a hotter Vamp on halloween, but dammit Chang those fangs look so real!"

"Kurt looks like he's going to faint." Artie pointed helpfully at the boy diva, who had turned a very pale color, before commenting on his former girlfriends gettup.

"Tina, I must say whoever did the _work,..." _he ogled her from head to toe. "... did an exemplary job, your fangs do, indeed, look very authentic... and _hot_!"

"Hey!" Mike leapt off the third tier to pounce on Artie but was cut off by his very intimidating girlfriend.

"Not now Mike! I love it when you're jealous _bobo_, but remember what we talked about earlier today? You promised you would go along, no matter what?"

"Bobo?" Kurt regained his color upon hearing Tina's pet name for her '_tall, dark and handsome twinkle toes_,' which was Kurt's (secret) pet name for the boy.

"Enough!" Tina threatened, her voice was low and raspy.

"We don't have much time, so I brought the necessary supplies. Kurt, Santana, Brittany, I need your skills." She held up the tote bag she had hauled into the choir room. "The rest of you come down to the bottom row and _sit still_."

Curiosity alone was enough to make them behave. Puck, Santana, and Brittany knew what was going on of course, but the rest of them were in the dark. Still, they followed orders. Tina playing Sexy, Domineering Vampire was actually quite titillating.

"You all need to look _bitten_. Now lets get started on the make-up." She pointed at Puck, who was wearing a simple black tank top, ripped at the knee blue jeans and army boots. "_He_ needs to have _several_ bite marks. One on his shoulder, I think another on his stomach right above the hip bone, and of course, one upon the neck."

They were all looking at her a little wildly; Tina was _really good _at being_ a_ _hot_, _bossy_ _Vampire_.

"Yeah Baby!" Puck nodded his head with anticipation. "Owww, dude just goin' along with orders man." He rubbed his arm. Mike managed to reach across Sam and punch him in the shoulder.

"Bobo is so cute when he gets jelly isn't he San?" Santana smirked and nodded at Brittany while shooting Tina a sly wink. Which was the Latina's way of welcoming the Goth girl to their _team_. Tina returned the wink and offered them both a sinister smile.

"She really has the scary '_I'll suck you dry_' look down." Lauren Zizes approved. The wrester had no idea what was going on but she didn't care. She never knew what was going with this group of idiots but it was always perversely fun, and filled to the brim with angst and drama. She loved glee!

As Kurt, Santana and Brittany began the process of creating bite marks Tina brought them up to speed.

"Now, let me explain what is going to happen during glee. Mr. Schue is absent today - they couldn't find a sub to replace him in time. Glee practice was cancelled but instead, a surprise assembly will be held seventh hour. Coach Sylvester is, at this very moment informing Mr. Figgins that we are having a special _Sing Off_ competition. The student body will judge and the winner will be chosen based upon the level of applause. Mr. Figgins will probably have a fit, at some point, and try to stop the performance. Which is a good thing because only one of us has practiced a number."

"Me!"

"Now, I will need some back up on this song I'm going to sing."

...

**Ten Things that Rachel knew.**

1) Mr. Figgins _would _seek out Ms. Pilsbury wearing a Hazmat suit.

2) That confrontation _would_ occur in the very early morning.

3) Ms. Pilsbury _would_ freak out upon seeing the Hazmat suit.

4) Ms. Pilsbury _would_ run to Mr. Schuester.

5) Mr. Shuester _would_ call in sick.

6) Finn Hudson _thought_ he knew who the Skunker was.

7) Finn Hudson _would_ _try_ and tattle to Mr. Figgins.

8) Mr. Figgins _would_ be a ripe tomato.

9) Sue Sylvester _would_ jump on the chance to stick it to Mr. Shuester.

10) Mr. Figgins _would_ flip out during the Sing Off.

In conclusion: Rachel knew that if one, or any of the above anticipated reactions failed to bear fruit; she had plan B. She always had a plan B. And a plan C.

Her goal was to rattle Mr. Figgins. He was, at best: harmlessly naive. At worst: harmfully incompetent, self serving, and willfully ignorant.

The silent majorty of the student body suffered because he played at being an ostrich. He stuck his head in the sand pretending not to see the ugly truth surrounding him. Rachel had given him many opportunities to see the reality of his lack of leadership and dicipline. If he would not see the dysfunction running rampant at McKinley High School then she would make McKinley High School see his dysfunction.

...

**The Sing Off**

Mr. Figgins and Sue Sylvester took their time in getting to the auditorium so they could supervise the general chaos in the hallways. The students were excited for the assembly, not necessarily because of the glee clubs performance, but mainly because it got them out of class.

Mickey Everson nearly plowed Sue over in a mad rush to beat the other students to the good seats. He was grabbed roughly by the shirt collar and shaken thoroughly before being scolded.

"Everson, if I have to tell you one more time not to run in these hallways I will own you for a week. I will make you learn to hate running. Do you understand me?" Sue was up in the boys face, not caring a whit that his father was the president of the School Board.

_Micky Everson is another Dimension. Don't ever touch him. If you do you will be transported to an alternate reality and not even know the switch occurred. You will be living your other You's life and Your other You will be living yours. _

Mr. Figgins watched the exchange between Coach Sylvester and the son of the School Board president with big eyes. He took a cautious step back and away from them. He did not want to touch Mickey Everson. Sue finally released the boy only to notice that Figgins was white as a sheet. His eyes were about to pop out of his head and she wondered if he was going to get into one of his _'excessive force' _rants.

"How do I know that You are You Sue?...and... not your other You?"

Nope! No worries about excessive force.

"How do I know that You are You Figgins?" Sue countered. She could play this game.

He didn't touch me Sue. Mr. Mickey Everson sends people to their other _Dimension_. How do I know that You are not the You from Your other Dimension?

Sue shrugged her shoulders and simply replied. "I'm immune to him."

"Ah... I see." He nodded his head and they strolled down the hallway toward the Auditorium.

Poor Mr. Figgins. All he could see were the Mutants in the crowd. The closer he got to the Auditorium the more anxious he became. The list from his Anonymous Admirer was playing on rewind through his mind.

_Azimo Adams becomes a Blob. He turns into a rolling ball of gel and sucks up all organic objects in his path. There is nothing you can do if he should shift in your presence. He can squeeze and flow through any crack, or crevice until he gets what he wants. _

_David Karofsky is an Ogre. The mean kind. Not the nice kind like Shrek. _

_Coach Shannon Beiste really is a Beasty. Her appetite matches a pride of hungry lions, she holds the strength and stamina of a hundred oxen and like a dragon; she breathes fire. If she ever starts to shout at you the game is over. You will become a crispy crunchy kabob before you have the time to blink twice. She loves scorching her meat; she likes it crispy on the outside but juicy and tender on the inside. Remember it is very important not to get her angry._

_Mr. Simmons turns into a whirling dirvish at will. _

_William Schuester is a were/whatever. Each full moon he changes into something different. He never knows what it will be but it's always a creature. He has never turned into the same thing twice. Last month he was a Mallard Duck. Remember the duck that Brittany Pierce brought in for show and tell and then forgot it in her locker? That was William Schuester. His transformation only lasts for a fourty eight hour period by which he remembers absolutely nothing. He mutation is rather useless as he requires constant care during the duration of his transformation._

_Quinn Fabray is A Gorgon. She can turn you into stone with a penetrating stare. Your soul gets trapped forever. Never, ever, ever, never make extended eye contact with her. It would be best to wear dark glasses in her presence. She can still turn you to stone while you are wearing them but she'll probably be less tempted if she doesn't think you are looking at her. Don't look at her at all if you want to move on to another life when you are done with this one._

_Your best option Mr. Figgins is to ignore these people at all costs. Don't interfere in any way with their private war or else you will find yourself swept into the center of the storm. _

By the time they entered the auditorium Mr. Figgins was nervous and twitching at shadows. He decided it would be best to stand against the wall on the side of the auditorium. That way he could keep an eye on the students in the crowd and still enjoy the performances. Or, try and enjoy the performances. One half hour was all that was left of his day. One half hour and he would be safe and free.

All the students were settled in their seats talking quietly and waiting for the show to begin. Coach Sylvester left Mr. Figgins leaning by himself against the wall. It was her duty to announce the performers, control the crowd and decide the winner based on the reaction from the audience.

The lights were dimmed except for the spotlights on stage. Sue was at a podium off to the side, she tapped the microphone - it made a crackling sound that echoed throughout the room.

"Alright then. Lets get on with it. Our glee club Diva's are competing with one another for a solo performance in the upcoming Sectionals competition. It is your job to applaud loudly for the performance you think is best. When all four performances are finished we'll bring the soloists back on stage for you to make the final decision.

"Our first performer is Ms. Tina Cohen Chang. She will be singing "Loving You" The glee club will sing the back up harmonies on all of the performances."

Sue nodded at the stage hand to open the curtain.

"Gasp...whoah!...sshhssh...gah... oh my god... wow...whistle...snicker...Hot Mama...is that real blood? shssh... Ack!

Tina was center stage in all her Vampire Glory.

Mr. Figgins nearly fainted with what he saw. That combined with the song Ms. Tina Cohen Chang had chosen to sing had him paralyzed. Ms. Minnie Riperton's version of 'Loving You' was his all time favorite song. Minnie Riperton was an Angel. And now, that...that..._that_... _Vampire_ was going to defile his favorite song. He had a whole thread on his Secret MySpace account devoted to Minnie Riperton. No, he could not allow that _Vampire_ to sing.

What is going on with the rest of the glee club performers? They look so strange.

The gleeks were spread around the stage behind Tina on strategically placed risers. Some of the them were leaning lazily back upon their elbows with their legs stretched out and ankles crossed. Others were sitting upright but looking dazed and dreamy eyed. Quinn Fabray was sprawled across a bench lying on her stomach, laying her head in Brittany Pierce's lap.

Noah Puckerman was sitting on the floor gazing up at Tina as though she were a goddess. He wasn't wearing a shirt and the bite marks upon his body stood out red and raw upon his tawny skin. Santana Lopez, Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry were standing behind Tina_,_ swaying to and fro like Zombies. The most shocking display of all was Sam Evans.

Evans was lying listlessly on the floor. He looked dead! There was a puddle of something very blood like, dripping from two red bite marks on his neck. They _all_ had bite marks on their necks. _I was being told that Ms. Chang did not feed off human blood! _Mr. Figgins seethed silently to himself. He would put a stop to this charade. He would go up there and shut them down _now!_ But then the piano started to play and that..._that_ _Vampire_ started to sing.

_Loving you_

_Is easy because you're beautiful..._

Tina's smooth, honey toned voice was perfect for the song and once she finished the first phrase she flashed her grin at the crowd showing off her fangs. The audience visibly balked at her devilish smile but realized it was part of the show. Some of the kids were giggling, really enjoying the extra effort that had been put in to the costumes and showmanship.

_Making love with you_

_Is all I want to do..._

Tina turned her attention to her back up singers. Her voice was hauntingly clear and compelling; captivating the whole of the auditorium.

She strutted along the risers, touching and fondling her victims. Stroking Lauren's cheek, patting Puck upon the head, bending over to press a chaste kiss upon Quinn's _bitten_ neck. She touched and caressed each glee club member in some small way, making it clear to any who watched that she was marking them as her own.

When she turned back round to face the crowd, she ran her tongue along the length of her bottom lip. Her Blood Red lip. She flashed her fangs at the audience once more before launching into the next verse.

_Loving you_

_Is more than just a dream come true..._

_And everything that I do_

_Is out of loving you..._

_la,la,la,la...la,la,la,la,... do,dum,do,do,do,dooo.._.(super duper high note coming)

And just as she got to the really incredible, almost impossible high note - Kurt stepped forward to nail it cleanly.

_"aaha..aaaahaa..aaah."_

The crowd roared, delighted by the timing and surprise of the switch.

Tina gestured invitingly to the wings off stage. Mike Chang appeared making a graceful entrance; gliding effortlessly to the easy rhythm of the song, creating fancy footwork before he spun into a pirouette. It ended with him skidding to a stop and sinking upon his knees in front of Tina. He bowed his head to stare at the floor and wait. Wait for her to notice him. She ran the nail of her index finger along the line of his jaw until it reached his chin. Very gently she cupped his face, forcing him to look up at her. Her red glowing eyes were hypnotizing, they gleamed in the spotlight as she sang to her spellbound boyfriend.

_No one else can make me feel_

_The colors that you bring..._

_Stay with me while we grow old..._

_And we will live each day in spring time..._

This was acting and yet it wasn't. The audience was drawn in to the drama of the two, who appeared to be deeply in love. But it was also ironic; that such a sweet, ethereal love song was being performed so avidly by a girl who looked like Hells Evil Spawn.

She pulled Mike up to his feet, clasping his hand tightly, swinging it back and forth as she began the la, la, la's.

_la,la,la,la...la,la,la,la,... do,dum,do,do,do,dooo..._(super duper high note coming)

This time it was Santana Lopez who stepped forward to take on the high note.

_"aaha..aaaahaa..aaah."_

Again, the audience was thrilled by such diversity.

At this point Mr. Figgins was having a melt down. He put the dark sunglasses on because he noticed Quinn Fabray was looking into the crowd as though she was searching for someone specific. He didn't want her to turn her Gorgon gaze upon him. But what was really upsetting him was Rachel Berry. Kurt Hummel had taken the high note in the first verse of the song and Santana Lopez had taken it in the second. Rachel Berry was the third singer standing behind Ms. Chang. She would be taking the high note for the last verse.

_Rachel Berry is a Banshee Warrior Princess. She shatters minds with a sonic scream. If she ever hits a high C while giving a performance your head will explode. I recommend sitting in the back row of the glee club performances as well as wearing ear plugs._

No! He could not let Rachel Berry sing that last high note and blow up the minds of every student in this school. He pulled the earplugs out of his pocket and readied himself for action as _that_ _Vampire_ started her last verse.

This time Tina waved to the whole audience and offered them a genuine smile. The shy, sweet smile of Tina Cohen Chang. She encouraged them all to sing along. Most of the kids in the auditorium joined in, humming along if they didn't know the words, softly accompanying the Goth girl in the last verse.

_Because loving you..._

_Has made my life so beautiful..._

_And every day of my life_

_Is filled with loving you..._

_Loving you..._

_I see your soul come shining through..._

_And everytime that we..._

_Oh I'm more in love with you..._

Just as Tina started the last la,la's - Mr. Figgins pounced. He jumped onto the stage wearing his dark sunglasses and his yellow spongy earplugs, shouting and screaming for people to cover their ears.

Tina watched him shout at the audience but continued to do her la, la,la, la's.

_la,la,la,la...la,la,la,la,... do,dum,do,do,do,dooo..._(super duper high note coming)

"Get down children. Cover your ears. Don't listen anymore. Get down I say." Mr. Figgins was screaming from the center of the stage. He looked like a madman with his dark glasses, his yellow earplugs, and manic arm waving, the jumping up and down, and shouting and screaming. So crazy, in fact, that the students finally did get frightened. Of HIM!

Brad continued to play the piano while Tina finished her do, dum, do,do,do, doooos.

And Rachel stepped forward to sing that last high note.

_"aaha..aaaahaa..aaah."_

**To Be Continued.**

_Thanks so much to those of you who to continue to read and review. :)_


	30. Betty Unleashed

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_..._

Hi everyone! This chapter finishes up the last little bits of Mr. Figgins breakdown and sets up the stage for Act III of Rachel's Play.

...

_Just as Tina started the last la,la's - Mr. Figgins pounced. He jumped onto the stage wearing his dark sunglasses and his yellow spongy earplugs, shouting and screaming for people to cover their ears._

_Tina watched him shout at the audience but continued to do her la, la,la, la's._

_la,la,la,la...la,la,la,la,... do,dum,do,do,do,dooo..._(super duper high note coming)

_"Get down children. Cover your ears. Don't listen anymore. Get down I say." Mr. Figgins was screaming from the center of the stage. He looked like a madman with his dark glasses, his yellow earplugs, and manic arm waving, the jumping up and down, and shouting and screaming. So crazy, in fact, that the students finally did get frightened. Of HIM!_

_Brad continued to play the piano while Tina finished her do, dum, do,do,do, doooos._

_And Rachel stepped forward to sing that last high note._

_"aaha..aaaahaa..aaah."_

**Chapter XXX. "Betty Unleashed"**

Rachel, through intensive research, practical experiments and guidance from Peter; became adept at understanding, anticipating and, in no small fashion, _manipulating_ human behavior. Also, the recent emergence of a latent psychic ability, served to enhance her already highly developed sense of intuition. She knew how people would react under certain circumstances, long before anyone else would make such leaps in logic.

But Rachel had a blind spot. She could never predict her own reactions to the situations she found herself entangled within. Rachel, as a matter of fact, did an awful lot of '_winging it_' in relation to her own behavior, which often times got her into trouble.

Like, right now for instance; she didn't think past the moment of Figgins fit of apoplexy. She only knew that he _would_ most likely have a conniption. That was her goal. But what would his actions entail in the midst of his breakdown? Or, directly thereafter? Rachel, for all her planning and scheming, left those very important details unpredicted and unprepared for.

But Quinn didn't.

Quinn knew the moment Rachel stepped forward to sing that _super duper high note, _that Figgins would go after her. And Rachel, ever the performer, wouldn't even notice. She would be totally focused on hitting that high note perfectly.

So, Quinn had prepared herself for this crucial part of the Scene.

Tina wasn't the only gleek wearing tinted contact lenses. Quinn had ordered some for herself, which were florescent green in color. The overly bright green augmented the gold and emerald specs which swirled in the depths of Quinn's hazel gaze. One could call the affect eery, or otherworldly, catlike, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, maybe even paralyzing. Which was what Quinn was aiming for; that last option: Paralyzing.

Just as Rachel stepped forward to sing that final incredible high note, Mr. Figgins turned on his heel to confront her. He screamed at the top of his lungs for her to stop. Simultaneously, he took a lunging step in her direction, his arms were stretched out before him, grasping and reaching, he flexed and clenched his fingers; as though he intended to strangle her if she would not heed his words.

The five foot space between the Principal and the Diva was suddenly blocked by a stoic determined figure. Rigid and tense, she folded her arms across her chest while locking her gaze upon the advancing _Madman_. Mr. Figgins, startled by the figure suddenly hindering his path, focused his mania upon the intruder.

He was met with the whirling green eyed gaze of Quinn Fabray.

_**THE GORGON!**_

**"NO! Aaahhh...NO! Don't look at me! No!** _**no**_,_**no**__,no,...no..._" Figgins wailed, he covered his face with his hands, stumbled back and away from the terrifying figure. Like the Wicked Witch of the West; he melted into a puddle on the floor of the stage, withdrawing into a ball of blubbering human hysteria as Rachel finished that amazingly clear, piercingly high note.

_"aaha..aaaahaa..aaah."_

The audience was stupefied. Half of the kids in the front rows fled the auditorium in fear of Mr. Figgins bizarre behavior. The rest of the students were either laughing at the spectacle he was creating or trying to decide if he was part of the act.

Those that thought he was part of the show were sorely disappointed by his acting skills. He fell _way_ short of the high standards the glee club had shown throughout the performance. His costume was lacking on all fronts; the suit was tacky and cheap, he didn't pull off the shades at all and what was up with the Sponge Bob earplugs? Seriously? The gleeks _were_ geeks but they could definitely sing.

The Vampire stuff was cool, it was funny and made the love song _a lot_ more interesting. Most of the students concluded that Mr. Figgins _part _was creepy and weird - it sort of ruined the end of the performance. But, overall, they wouldn't punish the gleeks because the stupid Principal tried to crash their act. Ultimately, they expressed their approval with applause. Not all of them at first. It started slowly but gradually built up to a very loud, foot stomping, whistling and hooting, eventual standing ovation.

All the while Mr. Figgin's was curled up into a ball upon the stage. He buried his head between his knees and covered it with his arms. The dark glasses and the yellow spongy earplugs protecting him from a high school full of Mutant deviants. Sue Sylvester tapped the microphone at the podium, it whined shrilly until she turned the volume down. The kids all covered their ears - that was _way worse_ than the perfectly clear high notes that were expertly performed.

"Show's over kids." Sue announced with absolute authority. "You will be dismissed by rows. When you hear your row called you will leave quietly, no running or shoving."

"But we didn't get to vote?" " Yeah!" " We didn't get to see the other singers! " " Yeah!"

"I think it's safe to say that Ms. Cohen-Chang was the winner today. Now, back row - _**OUT NOW!**_ "

Sue Sylvester began her rule of the school as Mr. Figgins rocked back and forth mumbling gibberish and muttering about his soul being trapped forever in eternal stone.

Rachel frowned at the crumpled form of the whimpering Principal and glanced up at a smirking Sue Sylvester. Sue Sylvester who stepped into action the moment Figgins collapsed into a pile of unhinged humanity.

_Oh oh!_ Rachel thought, taking one last speculative look at the gloating Cheerio Coach as she directed the students out of the auditorium. _I think I've finally outsmarted myself!_

_..._

_(LATER THAT EVENING)_

_**Rachel, Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Puck, Tina, & some uninvited gues**ts._

**Blam! Blam! Blam!** The uninvited guest pounded with a meaty fist while shouting at the door of Rachel's Lab Oratory.

**"I know you guys are all in there! I saw you! I followed you all here. You all think I'm so dumb but I know you're up to something!"**

Six pairs of wild unblinking eyes were wondering, "What the fuck?"

Quinn arched her eyebrow curiously at Puck, her unspoken question being - did you flip the deadbolt?

NO! Said the boy with a smirk and a head shake.

Six heads swiveled to catch a glimpse of Betty - she was locked, loaded and ready for action.

**"I'm gonna come in there if you don't answer the door Rach!"**

Five heads nodded with eager anticipation as Rachel decided to give her former boyfriend fair warning.

"Finn, I strongly suggest you _go home_. I will tell you once and once only, that you will regret your actions if you come into my private workshop uninvited."

**"I don't really care what you say Rach, I'm coming in!" **Just as Finn finished his declaration he twisted the knob and shoved the door open.

Click, Snick,... Whoosh!

**SPLAT!**

Betty Boop's Boobs Blasted Black Dye all over a very befuddled Finn Hudson.

Rachel felt sorry for the boy because he had no chance in hell of winning, no matter how he played the shitty hand he dealt himself. If he had only called her and spoken to her. If he had not demanded and accused. If he had shown even the slightest bit of respect for Rachel she may have disengaged her 'Boopy' Trap. But no, Finn could only continue to be the surly, spoiled, self entitled bumbling buffoon he had always been.

"Ay Dios Mio! Que idiota." "Oops!" "_Awesome!_" "Snicker!" "Whoopsy!"

"I did give you an opportunity to retreat Finn!" Rachel explained as she grabbed the mop from the corner of the room and proceeded to poke it at the stunned boys chest. She prodded and pushed until he was slowly backed out of the doorway to drip on the shoveled pathway in her backyard. She did not want black dye staining her gold star linoleum floor.

His eyes were tightly shut as he rubbed at his face to wipe the gooey, dripping dye off. Quinn followed behind Rachel with a bucket and a towel. She stomped through the snowy yard to fill the pail at the spigot near the fence, stomped back through the yard, dipped the towel into the water, wrung it out and handed it to the sputtering boy. The whole while her mind was rewinding her own memory of breaking into Rachel's Lab uninvited. After witnessing what happened to Finn she could only thank God she had come out of that encounter unscathed.

His chest received the largest part of the blast but a good portion of it splashed into his face and hair. The rest dripped down in heavy streaks all over his pants and crotch. Quinn shook her head and started to laugh, Finn was going to be _Black Balled_ for quite some time.

He gurgled and grunted while muttering 'Ick' and 'Yuk.' He sputtered, and spat, while wiping his face with the ice cold towel. He finally got enough of the stuff off to open his eyes. He crushed the soiled towel within his monster hands before violently throwing it at the icy ground.

And then he started to cry.

Oh God! Ugh.

"Finn..." Her voice was low and wavered with an undertone of deep remorse. Rachel couldn't take it; this felt so mean. "Wait right here Finn, I've got something that will remove most of the dye."

She quickly shoved past the rest of her _Cast_, who were crammed in the doorway entirely enjoying the pathetic display. Inside, in the very first cupboard labeled Act I, Scene I: Dye Laughing, Rachel snatched a little bottle that was labeled: DYETERGENT. She dashed back outside but before presenting the 'antitdote' to her former love, she turned to face the joyous mob and pointed her finger.

There was some huffing and pouting but they retreated into the Den of Iniquity.

"Now Finn," Rachel's voice was gentle and soft, and filled with sincere regret. Even though the big goon deserved exactly what he received she couldn't bear the thought of seeing him at school like that for a whole month. She also didn't want him mouthing off (to anyone who would listen) the means by which he gained his color.

"I've run extensive tests on dye removal and come up with this detergent to wash the effects away. When the Cheerio's were dyed I thought it was very funny until I started to date Quinn. Then I considered it a challenge and wanted to help her remove the stains. So, here." She handed the boy the little bottle and continued to explain.

"Go home and take a shower, scrub that all over yourself and leave it on for five minutes before rinsing it off. It should strip away most of the dye. You may have a grayish cast for a week or so but it won't be nearly as intense as what the Cheerio's endured. The dye I put in Betty's Boobs isn't nearly as effective as the dye the Color Coder of Cheerio's used... or, you probably refer to him as the Skunker."

Finn was staring at Rachel as though she had two heads. His lips were moving like a stranded goldfish but he finally managed to sputter his objections.

"Why would you do that? Why would you have something like...like...like... _that_ in your singing studio Rachel? I..I just wanted to talk to you Rach! I knew you and Quinn and Puck were sneaking around behind my back. I don't understand?" He still had tears streaming down his cheeks but he was getting riled up again. He was pointing his finger at her, accusing her of betraying him as though she were still his girlfriend.

"FINN!" Rachel's tone was hard as steel. "You didn't ask to talk to me Finn, you demanded - just as you are doing now. I don't owe you an explanation Finn. I don't owe you anything. You came onto my property and forced yourself into my private space, even after I asked you to leave. You don't respect me Finn. You never have and I want you to leave right now. I think I'm being rather generous under the circumstances. Don't push your luck Finn... you know who my Uncle is."

The boy mummbled something under his breath about 'stupid girls,' he kicked the bucket of water over and stomped out of Rachel's back yard.

_Back behind the shrubbery, which lined the picket fence, three silent figures stood perfectly still while watching the little drama unfold._

Rachel watched Finn leave with little satisfaction. How had she ever thought she loved that foolish child? She had really hoped that they could maintain a friendship after their break-up. She had fantasies of getting back together with him for several months thereafter.

Until the day that Quinn showed up making demands of her own. But that was all the difference between Quinn and Finn. Quinn, after cleverly outsmarting Betty Boop, launched into an awkward, stilted, but sincere campaign. A campaign of inappropriate kisses, veiled threats and unintentional insults; by which the end result had Rachel charmed and swooning.

She giggled with the memory, shook herself and shivered at the night chill. Her sweater wasn't thick enough to keep the cold at bay. She gazed at the sad little puddles of Black Dye staining the snow covered walkway like blots of dreary despair. Well, she would not let Finn Hudson ruin the day, nor her time with her friends. She stomped her little foot upon the snow covered ground and marched back into the warm glow of her well lit little Lab Oratory.

She was met with the icy glares of two angry Cheerio's.

"What?"

"Would you care to explain why we..." Santana gestured wildly at Quinn, Brittany and herself, "...were not deemed '_**worthy enough**_' to receive the benefits of _this_ _**DYETERGENT**__**? **"_

Santana accused, all the while wildly waving a little bottle around - a bottle identical to the one that Rachel had given to Finn.

Oops!

"Ah...um... well, you see Santana...at the time we were not yet friends - if you recall? It wasn't until the saturation of your dye was mostly faded that we started enjoying one another's company. I, ah...um... also felt it would be suspicious if suddenly some of the Cheerio's were pigment free while others remained tinted."

Brittany started to giggle. She thought Santana was hilarious. Even now, months after the Berry Blue had faded, her fiery girlfriend had snit fits whenever reminded of the _Rainbow Shower_. Even _if,_ Rachel had given them the _DYETERGENT -_ Brittany wouldn't have used it herself. She loved being the Red Devil Girl. Quinn was just as funny as San. She was sneering at Rachel, looking as though she wanted to turn her over her knee to spank her. That would probably be fun to watch wouldn't it?

Everyone stopped to stare at Brittany, who was lost in her giggles and fantasies. She noticed how quiet the room had suddenly become. The only sound being the echos of her giggling and realized she had gone off in her mind.

"I think it's funny." She explained before asking, "Quinn?...If you spank Rachel, can I watch?"

"Yeah Baby!" Puck snickered at the look of horror upon Quinn's face. Rachel acquired a smirk that seemed to agree with Brittany's assessment. Santana was shaking her head with dismay while Tina was openly gaping at the conversation her _Cast_ mates were carrying on around her.

This was Tina's first debriefing of an Operation. She had missed the one after the hockey game because she couldn't make up an excuse to ditch Mike. Tonight she told him she was having a girls night at Rachel's so that got her off the hook. But, now, she was sort of missing Mike. She knew he would enjoy being a part of _this glee_ within the glee club.

After Santana finally got over her resentment and it was determined that, '_NO_', Brittany could not watch Rachel's forthcoming punishment, the little band of sneaky gleeks got down to business. Rachel and Quinn cleaned up the spots of dye upon the floor while Puck looped a still dripping Betty over her hook. He set the pail beneath her figure to capture the dripping remnants of her deflated bosom.

"Rachel?" Tina wasn't sure how she should approach this next issue. She wanted to get it out of the way before they started preparing for the Third Act of Rachel's Play.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look curiously at their new recruit. Rachel, who had climbed onto Quinn's lap after the '_spanking_' discussion, returned Tina's anxious gaze with a warm smile and nodded her head at her friend - encouraging Tina to speak her mind. Quinn was clinging tightly to Rachel's waist. The stool they were sharing was not really made for two so all of her concentration was focused on keeping her girlfriend from falling out of her lap.

The mood in the room was surprisingly uplifting after the unfortunate encounter with Finn.

"I...I know how I got to be here, I mean I know you invited me to be a part of the Play because I asked you but, um... how did everyone else become a _Player_?" She gestured at Puck and Brittany first, hesitated a bit before pointing at Santana, then lastly at Quinn; who grinned before kissing Rachel on the cheek and whispering something that made the diva blush.

Rachel thought she knew where this was leading but wanted to know the why of Tina's question.

"Why is that important to you Tina?"

Tina shrugged and smiled a bit sheepishly before softly replying.

"Because I know that Mike would love this and I feel a little guilty about lying to him tonight."

"I see." Rachel bobbed her head in understanding as did the rest of the group.

"Everyone in this room, with the exception of Quinn, became a _Player, _Tina, in the same way as you. They asked. I want anyone who participates to do so with the knowledge that it was their idea to become a member of the Cast. I, of course, as the director, reserve the right to refuse anyone who could not be trusted or may not have the talents to perform the Scenes."

"Finn, obviously, will not have a role. The way he presented himself tonight wholly confirms that decision in my mind. Quinn was the first to approach me. Unlike Finn, she outsmarted Betty Boop. When I caught her red handed, snooping inside my cupboards, her reaction was to kiss me senseless. A moment later she was threatening me with Sue Sylvester. I, of course, blackmailed her with footage of the kiss. I told her I would sell it to Jacob Ben Israel if she refused to keep my secrets and help create diversions."

Tina's eyes were big as saucers.

"And thus begins a tale of _Twue Wuv_!" Santana provided helpfully.

Rachel chuckled, Quinn pinched her ribs in protest as the rest of the room burst into giggles.

"So, to answer you question Tina, I would love to have Mike as a member of the Cast but he must _ask _first and he must swear to keep our secrets just as you did. I would prefer that he figure it out on his own, but, I suspect it is in his nature to protec...-"

But before Rachel could finish her statement the door burst open, spitting forth a trio of eavesdroppers staking their claims.

"I must have an audition for your Play! I swear to carry your secrets to my grave!"

"Girl...I want _in_...Pl_eeease?..._oh, and 'ditto' on the swearing thing...um... my lips are sealed!"

"Whoa... Dudes!" Sam scolded his compadres before very politely presenting his case.

"Hello Rachel...Quinn." He made sure to acknowledge his ex considering that Rachel was currently planted in her lap. He pulled off his knitted beanie and clutched it between his hands in front of him. He nodded at the rest of the Players before continuing.

"What Kurt and Mercedes are trying to say is that we would love a role in your _oh so_ marvelous, fantastically ingenius, highly entertaining Play. We will, of course, audition at your convenience. I would also be willing to be a stage hand or props manager...I...I...I would do anything you asked, even be the coffee boy, if I could be a part of this Phenomenal Production."

And with that said, Sam Evans stepped forward and bowed deeply, sweeping his knitted beanie into the gesture with dramatic flair. Kurt was stunned by the blonde boys composure and started to blush, realizing his own presentation had been rather uncouth. Mercedes shrugged her shoulders, sneered at Sam's back and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, '_Brown Noser_.'

"Ay Dios Mio, estoy rodeado de idiotas!"

"Be nice San, hi Cedes, hi Kurt, awww Sam... you're so cute!"

"_Hey Hot MaMa!,_ Hummel." Puck greeted the _Gossip Girls_ before offering his opinion. "I think you _should_ make Trouty Mouth be the coffee boy Rach."

"Sigh!" Quinn buried her nose in Rachel's silky hair, inhaling the lovely vanilla scent to fortify her strength. It wasn't that she didn't want new Cast members, but more the knowledge that she would have to be more vigilant in protecting Rachel's secrets. Secrets are kept best if no one knows them. Now, she looked around the room counting heads. Seven Cast members. Nine including herself and Rachel. _Whatever_, she thought, if Rachel wanted them then she would _make_ _sure_ that they were _damned good_ at secret keeping.

Tina smiled warmly at the three new Cast members and made a silent promise to herself. Mike was going to become curious and brave before this weekend was over.

Rachel reluctantly slid out of Quinn's lap, she padded over to the door of her workshop, which was still ajar and closed it tightly before sealing it with the deadbolt. She hadn't yet uttered a word. She glided across to the back of the Lab and opened the little closet. Piled inside were spare stools stacked on top of one another. She started to tug at the stack but they seemed to be stuck together. A long arm reached over her shoulder and a gentle hand pushed her aside.

"Exactly how many of these stools do you have Rach?" Puck asked his tiny friend curiously, knowing the answer already because he had thoroughly snooped through every item in the Lab Oratory.

"Twelve." Rachel grinned up at Puck and winked.

...

**Rachel and Quinn **

It was nearly midnight before the girls made their way to Rachel's bedroom after a very long and grueling Friday. Her Daddy's were still out on their '_date'. _They had gone to Columbus for a dinner party and would not be home until the early hours of the morning. Peter had checked in with she and Quinn after the completion of her _Cast_ meeting.

He knew, of course, when her friends had left because she turned the cameras back on in her Lab so they could wave and say hello and goodbye. She giggled at the memory of all of them standing in front of the Lily on the wall. Brittany was blowing kisses, Puck was flexing his biceps, Santana said something vulgar in Spanish that Rachel didn't quite catch but was positive it made Peter chuckle. Quinn and Tina simply waved at the Lily and smiled warmly.

Kurt, Mercedes and Sam were somewhat confused by all the strange behavior.

"Why are you all hamming it up for a flower?" Mercedes wondered while Kurt and Sam nodded their silent agreement to the question.

"Because of Peter, the scariest Dude in all of Lima - he's Rachel's _mafioso_ neighbor. He knows all, sees all, and will bust your balls if you step out of line with our little diva princess. The flowers got hidden cameras in 'em - he's the biggest _badass_, he said he was gonna feed me to his Rose Bushes as fertiliz-"

"Ahem!" Rachel cleared her throat while narrowing her eyes at Puck.

"Peter is my mentor and my friend. We share a security link through the cameras hidden within my sculpted flowers. You will meet him soon and come to love him as we all do." Rachel explained as she escorted her friends out of her Lab Oratory.

Peter came over to the house shortly thereafter with a bit of news. He knocked at the back door before letting himself in. Rachel knew he was coming and left the door unlatched. She and Quinn were snuggled up on the sofa watching MTV while waiting for their _babysitter_ to come and check upon them. They knew that Rachel's Dad's had an arrangement with Peter whenever they were out for a lengthy period of time. They didn't mind because they loved him, it was comforting to know he was watching out for them.

Peter sauntered into the room wearing his Carthartt jacket and faded blue jeans. He left his sorrel boots by the back door and shuffled into the living room in stocking feet. Running his hand through his wild silvery hair, he let out a deep sigh before greeting the girls.

"Hi Half Pint, howdy Quinn." He smiled at the couple before plopping his stocky frame into the lounge chair. He decided to deliver the news head on instead of working up to it during a polite conversation. Rachel always preferred a direct approach.

"I just got a call from Minnie. Schmanson's lawyer finally got around to investigating the Halloween Scene. I wanted to give you a heads up because Quinn and Santana are going to get a subpoena for a deposition. Minnie said you shouldn't worry, just go along as you planned for now. Rachel, I'm sure you know but your Uncle Ricky recused himself from the case as soon as he locked Hanson up."

Rachel nodded at Peter's statement while untangling herself from Quinn's embrace. Both girls sat up to give Peter their undivided attention.

"Minnie's in charge of the investigation and all its details. She'll be working with the Prosecutor and won't allow this case to get derailed. She _will_ do everything by the book but you need not worry about an overzealous investigation involving activities at the school. If that should ever happen, I assure you its focus will be upon the Administration, the Teaching Staff and the Hooligans who run rampant at that place. A _film _was received by an anonymous source. Apparently the Prosecutor was duly impressed and Hanson's lawyer is livid."

He winked at Rachel, smiled that wicked smile which made his blue eyes twinkle like stars.

"Things are going well girls... I've known the lass for a long time Rachel and Minnie knows the law as good as any lawyer...now...um... do you girls have any questions?"

"Why did Minnie call you Peter? Isn't that breaking some confidentiality code? Couldn't she get in trouble for telling you all that?"

Rachel was winding herself up. Quinn, and Peter for that matter, knew this was how she would react. She had to pick apart every detail and investigate it from every side before she could feel comfortable with what it might mean.

Quinn wrapped her arm around her girlfriends shoulder and pulled her close.

"Shhshh, Rach... let Peter answer one question before you get to the next." Quinn's voice was smooth and calm, she gently stroked Rachel's thigh with her free hand and waited for her words to soothe her high strung girlfriend.

"I'm going to be deposed as well Rachel. I'm the one who called your Uncle when you were kidnapped... remember?"

Nod.

"Minnie simply stated, 'Mr. Parker will be holding depositions for witnesses of _all_ events leading up to Ms. Hanson's arrest. You will be receiving a subpoena.' That was all she said Rachel, but I was able to infer very much from that single statement. I also have other resources within the department. Minnie will take to no risk. She will not compromise you Rachel, nor this case. I promise you have nothing to worry about. You and Quinn just go about your business at school, I'll have your back for the rest Rachel. I promise you that."

Peter finished his statement with a fierceness that reminded Rachel of an Alpha Wolf. His gaze was steady and unflinching. If he had hackles, she was sure they would be standing on end and his voice held the undertone of a low growl. To get at a member of his pack an enemy would have to get by _him, _and surely that could never happen. His aggressive, protective manner had the desired affect upon the tiny diva - she felt safe and protected and loved.

"Thank you Peter." She stated simply before getting up to throw her arms around the man she adopted as her third father. He squeezed her soundly and held her for a long moment. He caught Quinn's gaze while looking over Rachel's shoulder and smiled brightly at the quiet, beautiful girl who was whispering her thanks to him.

So much had happened in that single day that Rachel found herself at a loss when she was suddenly bent over Quinn's knees upon her bed. They had taken a hot, steamy shower, gently holding one another for long moments in between scrubbing their bodies and shampooing their hair. Quinn was always the first to make it into the bed because her night time ablutions consisted of brushing her teeth and towel drying her hair. Rachel, however, had a regimen to perform; eyebrow plucking, pore treatment, intensive flexing of certain facial muscles and blow drying her hair.

So, when she crawled across Quinn in an attempt to reach her side of the bed and found herself being pinned against Quinn's lap, she was utterly stunned. Her naked bottom was exposed in the most unseemly manner before she felt the sting of a slap across her sensitive cheeks.

She was being _**Spanked!**_

_**Smack!**_

"QUINN FABRAY!"

Peals of laughter...

_**Smack!**_

**To Be Continued.**

_I intended to reveal the first Scene of Act III in this chapter but will leave that as a surprise. I hope you stick around to see what happens. Thank you all for continuing to read and review. :)_


	31. Curiouser and Curiouser

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Hi everyone. Sorry for the long delay. Real life sucks sometimes, when it gets in the way of my fanfiction addiction. Anyway, this chapter is a bit short but it is the beginning of Act III, Scene I: Rumors_

_... _

_So much had happened in that single day that Rachel found herself at a loss when she was suddenly bent over Quinn's knees upon her bed. They had taken a hot and steamy shower, gently holding one another for long moments in between scrubbing their bodies and shampooing their hair. Quinn was always the first to make it into the bed because her night time ablutions consisted of brushing her teeth and towel drying her hair. Rachel, however, had a regimen to perform; eyebrow plucking, pore treatment, intensive flexing of certain facial muscles and blow drying her hair. _

_So, when she crawled across Quinn in an attempt to reach her side of the bed and found herself being pinned against Quinn's lap, she was utterly stunned. Her naked bottom was exposed in the most unseemly manner before she felt the sting of a slap across her sensitive cheeks._

_She was being_ _**Spanked!**_

_**Smack!**_

_"QUINN FABRAY!"_

_Peals of laughter..._

_**Smack!**_

**Chapter XXXI. " Curiouser and Curiouser."**

She really couldn't describe what came over her as she reclined against the pillows, waiting for Rachel to finish up her nightly ritual. The memory of that naughty smirk upon Rachel's face had a lot to do with Quinn's current behavior. Her heart raced at the twinkle in Rachel's eyes, and the mischief of her smile, upon hearing Brittany's inappropriate request. _"Quinn?...if you spank Rachel, can I watch?" _

Her girlfriend was all kindsa kinky sometimes, and Quinn thoroughly enjoyed everything that Rachel had gotten up to in the bedroom, but it also kinda irked Quinn. She was always playing catch-up and never adding anything into the mix herself. So, basically, this was just an impulsive guess on her part, based upon Rachel's reaction to Brittany's fantasy. Quinn wasn't sure, however, which part Rachel was reacting to. Did she like the idea of Brittany watching them? Or, just the idea of being spanked? Or, was it the combination of both scenarios?

No matter, because at this very moment she had Rachel face down, snug against her lap. Quinn was giggling like a madwoman, delivering the fourth punishing slap to Rachel's bottom while her girlfriend squirmed and squealed. She wasn't using significant force, but the way she cupped her hand helped to create the resounding smack, making is seem much worse than it actually was.

_**Smack! **_"That is for the Dyetergent!" Quinn mock scolded.

_**Smack! **_"That is for 'the Orgasm of the Century.' "

_**Smack! **_"Tell me you deserve to be punished."

Rachel's tiny bubbly butt cheeks were a little red, but Quinn had moved her hand around so no single spot was overly stung. Rachel was squirming and wiggling, but she wasn't trying to extract herself from Quinns grasp.

After the initial shock, that first instinctual reaction to protect herself, that immediate sense of insult at being put in such a vulnerable position; Rachel's mind was able to process Quinn's intent, which sent a surge of arousal throughout her entire body.

"I deserve to be punished." Rachel whined and writhed upon Quinn's lap.

_**Smack! **_"Tell me you'll do anything I say."

"I..I'll do anything you say." Rachel rolled her eyes at that, but responded with the proper amount of contrition, and continued to squirm so Quinn could believe she really had the upper hand.

_**Smack! **_"Did you just roll your eyes?."

"Um...er...no." Giggle...wiggle, squirm. "Keep going Quinn; I am a _really_ bad girl!"

_**Smack!... Smack!... Smack! **_

_**"Yes!...Yes!...Yes!"**_

"Oh. My. God...Rachel, you really are a _bad, bad, bad_, girl!"

_**Smack!**_

_**"aaaah...Yes!"**_

Quinn was laughing so hard that tears were leaking out of her eyes. She flipped her girlfriend off of her lap and pinned her to the mattress.

"Quinn! Why did you stop? You were just getting to the good par...-"

Rachel's complaint was smothered by soft lips and the all consuming force of Quinn's incredible body sliding into place atop her own. Every patch of skin collided and rubbed in all the right places. Every soft curve, every tight muscle, pushed and pulled against Rachel in a sensual rhythm, creating a friction and increasing the heat that was already burning hot.

Quinn was everywhere. Her sweet hot mouth branded kisses along Rachel's neck, all the while her hands were stroking patterns across her chest and thighs. Teasing patterns that pinched in sensitive places only to tenderly caress a moment later. Her teeth would bite and nibble and her tongue would soothe with gentle strokes..

Rachel continued to wiggle and squirm. Quinn was a relentless tease. She played Rachel like a stringed instrument; no chord was left unstrummed and no string was left unplucked. Quinn was kissing her deeply, breathing into Rachel's mouth a passion that was hot and hungry; her tongue was searching, exploring and needy, all the while teasing fingers stroked and slid through silky folds.

Rachel's body was a melting fluid thing; a liquid heat that roiled and bubbled like molten lava in the depths of an angry volcano. Quinn's fingers plunged in deep causing her focus to sharpen, and suddenly that liquid heat was a raging rapids, racing toward a plummeting waterfall, falling off and crashing, splashing, showering into a spray of blinding infinity.

Thick dark lashes fluttered open revealing rich brown eyes that shone with a warmth and depth that stole Quinn's breath away. That feeling always amazed her. How lost she suddenly felt. Lost in a way that words became gibberish and thoughts became misty formless clouds. Lost in a way that being found would become an inconvenience.

Quinn stroked Rachel's cheek gently as she recovered from her orgasm, but continued to penetrate Quinn's soul with the intensity of that dark eyed gaze. So many emotions flickered through her eyes that Quinn was finding it hard to read what Rachel was feeling.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked the question with a little trepidation. She was fairly certain that Rachel had enjoyed _everything,_ but wanted to make sure she hadn't crossed over the line.

Rachel's eyes widened a bit at the question before they seemed to fill with mirth. Deep liquidy brown was twinkling with amusement, but also, a tiny portion of what Quinn could only call bashfulness. Was Rachel being coy? Was she really, once and for all, a little shy about what she and Quinn had explored together? God knows that Quinn was shy every single time they made love. Not in a bad way, but she always felt so vulnerable and exposed. It wasn't something she would get over easily, but Rachel was doing a bang up job of helping her.

"No sweetheart, you did not hurt me...you surprised me, you definitely surprised me, but..." Rachel drifted off wearing a secretive smile; she closed her eyes for a moment before focusing them back on Quinn.

"But?" Quinn whispered, unable to conceal her worry that Rachel was somehow disappointed.

"Shssh baby," Rachel placed a gentle finger on Quinn's lips to stifle her fretful questions. "I was unprepared for what you did... but I loved it. I really loved it and I'm a little shocked that I would like it so much. I'm kind of embarrassed because I got _so_ turned on Quinn." Rachel ducked her head and looked away from Quinn, still a little overwhelmed by the deep emotional reaction and also the level of arousal she experienced from the spanking.

"Oh." Quinn really didn't know what to say next, so she opted for bending down and tenderly kissing that pouty bottom lip, she pulled it into her mouth and gently sucked before letting go and dropping a playful kiss on Rachel's cheek. "You're okay though, right? I didn't traumatize you or anything?" She asked a little nervously, still uncomfortable with Rachel being so quiet and shy.

Rachel started to giggle then. She reached out and pulled a startled Quinn on top of her, smiled that bright smile, the one that flashed a mouthful of perfectly white teeth; her eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"If anything Quinn you've opened a can of worms. I am suddenly very curious about many _things_ I might like to try, or have you try. I also think I will misbehave more frequently."

She winked at her dumbstruck girlfriend, kissed her soundly, all the while her hands were squeezing and fondling Quinn's incredible, um... magnificent... ah, er... her lovely assets.

Oh. My. God.

...

**Act III, Scene I: Rumors**

_**Monday Morning at McKinley High.**_

"The Tricky Trickster is going to be waiting in the pool. He's got, like, this blue camo kind of scuba gear; its all painted so it matches the bottom of the pool to make him invisible. He's going to sink Nate Minetti in the middle of his 200 meter with some type of lasso, spear gun thingy...-"

"That's not what I heard. I heard the Heartless Hacker is going to put some stuff in the water. You know, that stuff that makes your skin itch. All the swimmers will get all rashy and full of hives and stuff. Their balls are going to be on fire and they won't be able to finish their races. **Ha, Ha, ha, ha,** **h**a, ha...-"

Jacob Ben Israel's laughter tapered off on the last couple of, 'ha,ha's,' because he foolishly inserted himself into a private conversation between two of the basketball players. The looks upon their faces at his interruption were not kindly, in fact, they were downright homicidal.

Oops!

The basketball players were trying to make themselves feel better by spreading the gossip they heard about the swim team. They were already on edge because of the rumors which predicted mayhem at their game tomorrow evening. The basketball would explode and cover the players with dye, or even worse, skunk gas. Or, the soles of their shoes were going to be coated with some kind of '_specia_l' epoxy. The gym floor would become a giant piece of flypaper when the PrankMaster activated his magic, invisible, reaction agent. The whole of the basketball team would get stuck in place, mired to the floor, while their opponents scored point, after point, after point.

"Where did you hear that crap from Jewfro?" Tim Braxton, the star forward of the basketball team towered over the nerdy boy demanding an answer. Jacob nervously pushed his glasses in place before replying.

"I don't divulge my sources, Braxton; as a reporter, it is my duty to protect my informants at all costs."

"Even at the cost of a broken face Jewfro?" Tim Braxton pulled his fist back, readying himself to wallop the trembling, frizzy haired _ACE Reporter_.

"I...I.. I hearditfrom Thompson whoheardit fromMiller whoheardit from Humm... Hummel." Jacob blurted in one long run on sentence. He scrunched up his eyes and waited for the inevitable blow. A blow which did not come, to his surprise.

"I ain't gonna punch ya, Jewfro. Don't get me wrong, because I'd really like to, but not while that stupid Skunker is planning on getting the basketball team. Nu..uh. I'm gonna behave myself. Especially after what happened at the hockey game. That shit was wild man... it ain't worth it. "

Jacob scurried off before Tim Braxton changed his mind about assaulting him. He couldn't wait to get home to write up his Blog for tomorrow. Upon hearing the numerous rumors of impending doom for the sports teams throughout the day, Jacob concluded that the preeminent Master of Pranks was on the rampage. The basketball team and swim team were in deep do do. (Snicker!)

Well, Jacob thought, it really couldn't hurt to try and get on his good side now, could it? I mean if I do a survey or something, or pretend I did a survey but just make up bogus numbers and stuff. I could report that the whole of the school is rooting for the pranks to be successful by a 70 to 30 percent margin. The hype would be incredible! All those jocks would think the rest of the school was waiting with bated breath for them to fall on their faces like the hockey team had. This would be so great!

_**Monday after school.**_

"Spencer heard it from Cole, who got it from Jackson, who overheard Hummel and Jones gossiping in the lunch room."

"Aw c'mon, Mickey, everyone knows those two make up more stories than the National Enquirer. How can you believe any of the crap they come up with?" A very unconvinced Sam Evans rolled his eyes at his teammate while tying up the laces of his basketball shoes.

Mickey Everson scoffed at the boy version of a blonde bimbo before continuing to list his concerns. The boys were getting ready for basketball practice. Their football season was over and many of the players moved into the Winter sports season by playing basketball, hockey, or joining the swim team.

"I know those two are your buddies from glee, Evans, so I can see why you want to defend them, but they _are_ connected with the Skunker somehow."

"Whatever man, everyone is connected to the Skunker to hear you and Azimo talk. I don't give a shit. I don't pick on people so I don't have to worry about the Skunker picking on me. I really find it hard to believe that you are buying this bullshit. How the hell is the Skunker going to blow up the basketball? What good would it do anyway? So, the basketball blows up- big deal! The ref will just get the back-up ball and the game will continue. Why are you worrying so much about this Mickey?"

"Because I heard he's gonna fill it up with stink gas. If that basketball blows up while I'm the one that's holding it, I'll end up smelling like a Skunk again. I never, ever, want to have to smell that shit again. I'll quit playing before I risk going through that again."

Sam started to giggle until Mickey kicked him in the shins.

"Owwww."

"Evans, I'm serious man! You gotta talk to Coach about this; you're the captain of the team and you need to do your job dammit!"

Sam sighed sadly, took a deep breath, he pushed the floppy golden locks off of his face before responding to his agitated teammate.

"If you just stopped pounding on kids and harassing girls you wouldn't have to worry about it. Why do you do all that nasty shit anyway Mickey? What do you get out of being such a jerk to people you don't even know or care about?"

"Fuck off Evans. What's the big deal? You're a gleek and a jock so you can get away with being a loser and also be sorta cool. You're lucky you're a good athlete or you'd be spending quality time in a dumpster. Don't you get it asswipe? This is how school is...you either join the winners and beat down the losers or become a loser yourself. You can't have it both ways Evans. If I suddenly started being all friendly to a loser like Berry, for instance, or Hummel, God forbid - I'd be at the bottom of the food chain in a matter of days. So, I suck it up and act like a _man_. You should try it once in awhile."

Mickey snorted at his lame joke and sneered at Sam who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sitting in the lockeroom shivering in my shorts because I'm afraid of the Big Bad Skunker either. You want to run to Coach with your fears, you go ahead; just make sure you explain to him _why_ you're so afraid Mickey. You're the one with the target on your forehead, not me."

With that said, Sam finished lacing up his sneakers and patted Mickey on the shoulder before making his way into the gym for practice. Mickey didn't see the gleam in Sam's eyes, nor the smugness of his grin, as he sauntered out of the lockeroom.

...

_**Monday after Cheerio's Practice: Rachel and Sue Sylvester.**_

Rachel was wearing her most conservative skirt and a very toned down animal sweater for her meeting with Sue Sylvester. She was well aware the Coach thought her skirts were too mini. The purple skirt was still short, just not 'short, short,' like the one's she usually wore. And the sweater did have an animal on it but was much more subtle than the usually gaudy, appliqued creatures she normally adorned herself with. Who could be offended by a little lizard? A cute little green lizard like the Geico gecko was crawling over her shoulder; it wasn't even very big, just big enough (proportionally) to fit her eye cameras.

"May I ask why you are allowing me to use this topic for my debate Coach Sylvester? My conclusions don't bode well for the Cheerio's and every student will be in attendance."

Rachel was clearly flustered by Coach Sylvester's laisse faire attitude. It didn't make any sense that Sue would allow her to move forward with this issue in the practice debate tomorrow. She was certain that once she reviewed the topics the students had challenged one another with, that Sue would immediately quash her portion of the debate teams practice meet.

The Coach was wearing her Black Adidas today and it seemed to reflect her gloomy mood. She had her feet propped up on her desk and was slouching back in her chair with a pouty frown upon her face.

"I think the student body won't care what you have to say Streisand. They're woefully weak, spineless, sniveling, cowardly worms. They will gladly wiggle and crawl through the dirt until they're dragged out of their burrowing holes to be offered up as bait. They are powerless to help themselves and they know it."

"The students might believe every pointless word you choose to utter, and still, they will hang their heads low and follow the rest of the cowering cattle. Give it your best shot, Short Stack. I'm not going to be like Figgins and whine, or worry that you might offend some people by shooting your mouth off. I will only ask you one question as to the content of the material you intend to use in your presentation."

Rachel listened to the Coach in disbelief. This lady was really, really nuts, which was kind of weird for her to be thinking. Well, Rachel always new that Coach Sylvester was crazy, but she always believed that Sue had a deep and meaningful agenda underlying her bizarre behavior. But, now, she thought that Sue Sylvester really just loved chaos. She was in charge with Figgins gone for the next two months and Rachel was still trying to figure out if that was going to be a bad thing?

At first she was filled with panic at the idea that Sue would have free reign to hunt the PrankMaster (her) down. Now, it seemed as though Sue was bending over backwards to get out of her way? Was it intentional? Or, could it be another trap? She needed to start spying on Sue's meetings with Tinker more frequently. In the mean time, she had a debate to prepare for. Rachel nodded absently, cleared her throat, and addressed the Interim Principal's concerns.

"What did you want to know, Coach, about the content of my supplementary materials?"

"Is the material you will be presenting true, and can you prove it?"

"Yes." Rachel bobbed her head confidently.

"Alright then." Sue sat forward, pounded her fist on the desk, and flashed Rachel a ghoulishly freakish grin. "In that case, Munchkin, bring it on! Sue Sylvester is not afraid of the truth!"

**To Be Continued**

_Okay so the next chapter will answer some of the curious questions and concerns that were addressed in this chapter; completing the first scene of Rachel's third act. I hope you stick around to see what happens. :)_

_Thanks so much to those of you who take the time to review. I so appreciate your opinions and heed the advice of those of you who are willing to give it._


	32. Gang Related

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Okay, so this chapter is a little heavy. It has a few light moments but for the most part, is still the build up for the completion of this Scene. Rachel doesn't do anything half way and she is going to take off the kid gloves in the third Act of her Play. Be forewarned, the ride is going to get a little bumpy, but I will definitely balance out the drama with romance, fluff and humor._

_... _

**Chapter XXXII, "Gang Related "**

**ACT III, SCENE I: RUMORS **(Continued)

_(Tuesday, very early morning.)_

_**Jacob's Blog**_

**The survey says: 81% vote DEFINITELY YES! to an exploding basketball at tonight's basketball game.**

57% have made their wish upon a star! Pleeease, let it be Mickey Everson who is dribbling the ball when it goes **BOOM!**

43% have crossed their fingers for the **BIG BANG** to occur while Finn Hudson is leaping for a rebound.

Rumors are strange and wonderful things.

48% believe that the _EVENT_ will occur in the fourth quarter.

22% think _IT_ will POP in the second quarter.

19% believe that MAYHEM will stalk (stick? stuck?) the players at the onset of the game in the first quarter.

11% are _betting_ on the the surprise of a third quarter wild horse named _EPOXY_.

Did I say _betting? _Odds are, the corner table in the back of the cafeteria will have _a lot_ of action at lunch time today.

**The survey says: 77% want both the 'Flypaper Floor' and the 'Basketball Bomb'!**

And, last but not least, a whopping 91% of all kids polled are hoping the glee club shows up to, '_pelt their pee'_ at the basketball team when they get glued to the floor. Or, at second best, Rachel Berry will do an encore performance of Send In The Clowns.

When did sports events get so damned exciting at McKinley High? I overheard Coach Sylvester talking to a school board member in the hallway outside the Principals office yesterday. And, when I say _overheard, _that doesn't mean I was spying, or eavesdropping. I know, right?

I mean overheard, as in couldn't _not_ hear. She was using her mighty, mega mouth bullhorn and shouting at Mr. Everson.

**"Ticket sales for the hockey games are sold out for the rest of the season. We've got people waiting in line to buy out the basketball games, and, can you believe it Everson? We'll actually have to pull out the bleachers for the swim meet on Saturday! Why are you complaining? The Color Coder of Cheerios has made the sports programs at McKinley high a _big_ _Cash Cow!_ Moo... Moo... Moo...I say! Now, MOOve your illustrious behind, Everson, you are hindering the flow of traffic and the cattle can't be late for class."**

I'll leave you now with those inspiring words from our Interim _Fearless Leader_.

That's it for the _Hot Spot_ at Mckinley today.

_ACE Reporter,_

_Jacob Ben Israel._

_..._

_(Tuesday 2nd period)_

_**The Debate**_

Artie Abrahms, as captain of the Debate Team, appointed himself the Judge who would reside over Tuesday mornings practice run. The team had a meet in two weeks and he wanted his teammates to be prepared. They were all well practiced in the Team Policy Debate but had relatively little success, thus far, utilizing their one on one skills, which The Lincoln-Douglas Debate model emphasized. His major concern was Rachel Berry. Rachel was, without a doubt, his best researcher, best organizer and fastest talker. She was the most intellectually gifted, and by a long shot, the teams most passionate arguer. Her rebuttal arguments were downright genius at times. But, and this particular 'but,' was a _big_ 'but.'

Rachel broke the rules.

She consistently trod upon time allotments, she was a serial interrupter, which often got them fined for a boat load of points. She made faces at their opponents, was constantly snorting and huffing and creating distractions, which lost them even _more_ points.

Her most frustrating trait, however, was the storm out. Just like in glee, if people refused to capitulate to her superior notions, she refused to suffer their presence. She would stomp her little foot, mutter a very loud harumph, fling an invisible cape over her shoulder and march out of the debate venue.

Sigh!

Which is why Artie wanted his team to practice and was grateful that Coach Sylvester allowed him to use the student body as a support system. If Rachel had a real audience to perform in front of, the allure of all that undivided attention would, hopefully, override her need of a diva tantrum.

The L-D is a 'one on one' Debate and, as in Team Policy Debate, the proposition and opposition teams are called the Affirmative (or Aff) and the Negative (or Neg). Artie selected Zach Richards as the Neg to challenge, and chose to make Rachel the Aff.

Zach couldn't compete with Rachel intellectually, he doubted anyone on the team could, but Zach had a natural arrogance and swagger that tended to make the little diva spontaneously combust. Artie wanted to know now, before their actual competition, if he could trust Rachel to keep her temper. If she couldn't control herself in a practice forum then he would not allow her to compete in the real deal.

"Alright then, for the benefit of the audience I will explain how the debate will proceed."

Artie was off to the side of the main stage, seated at a little table speaking softly into a microphone. He had a clipboard and a stop watch placed before him on the table.

"Ms. Berry, as the _Affirmative,_ for todays debate will have the floor to deliver her six minute constructive argument.

Mr. Richards, as the _Negative, _will cross examine for three minutes and follow his cross with a seven minute counter argument.

Ms. Berry will regain the floor with a three minute cross examination of Mr. Richards constructive, and a four minute rebuttal.

Mr. Richards will follow with a six minute Negative rebuttal and Ms. Berry will close with a three minute Affirmative rejoiner.

When the two are finished with their presentations I will poll the audience to decide the winner. Let's begin, Ms. Berry you have the floor."

Two lecterns were set upon the stage with a ten foot gap between them. Each was equipped with a microphone and a little lamp to shine upon the speakers notes. The dead space in the back of the stage had been filled in by a large natural colored scrim. The filmy fabric was a neutral background for the debaters to stand in front of so they wouldn't get swallowed up by the depths of the monstrous stage.

The scrim would also work wonderfully as a giant video screen, if someone (Rachel) happened to have a sonic projector cued with a video ready to play. Puck and Brittany were in the back of the auditorium patiently awaiting Rachel's signal.

Artie didn't know that Rachel was going to break the rules again.

Rachel was wearing a short black skirt with white knee highs and her black penny loafers. She had also donned the black blazer and red tie that was the debate teams uniform. The collar of her white linen dress shirt was long, pointy and overly starched; it stuck out at odd angles, and that, combined with the braided pigtails she was wearing, confirmed her status as a _super_ gleek.

She turned her microphone on and began to speak. The smooth warm tones of her velvety voice were pleasant to the ear; they captured the attention of the students in the auditorium, as did her opening statement.

_**Rachel**_

_**"The McKinley High School student body is held hostage by the intimidating, hostile and criminal acts of youth gangs. How can this problem be resolved within the student body?"**_

"It's important to note that there is no clear definition which constitutes a gang. I found over a hundred definitions while researching this topic. A hundred definitions, which spanned centuries of time, crossed all borders and included all cultures."

"I restricted my research to those definitions which pertain to the law, as my statement emphasizes the aforementioned gang members committing criminal acts."

"The following criteria were listed in each and every definition."

A gang is described as an ongoing formal or informal organization, association, or group of three or more persons by which the following apply:

1) It has a common name and one or more common, identifying signs, symbols, or colors.

2) The persons in the organization, association or group, individually or collectively engage in patterns of intimidation, and criminal behavior to hold power and domination within their perceived territory.

Criminal youth gang behavior is defined as such: A felony or misdemeanor act committed by a juvenile that would be a felony or misdemeanor act if committed by an adult.

ie. Assault, larceny, vandalism, harassment, stalking, distribution of narcotics.

3) Initiation and/or hazing is used as a rite of passage to induct a member into the group, organzation, or association.

"It is my belief that McKinley High suffers from the influence of one large youth gang that has splintered its power among nine subgroups. These subgroups act autonomously but are, in effect, a single entity. This entity identifies itself with a symbol and colors which are worn ritually. Each subgroup wears variations of the identifying symbol to represent their own territory."

"The members of these gangs wear the colors of Red and White and Black and sport a Titan logo. Their territories are: The football field, basketball court, the ice arena, the swimming pool, the baseball diamond, the volleyball court, the cafeteria, the hallways, the classrooms and virtually every single square foot of the school grounds. When the territories of these subgroups overlap the cheerleaders step in to balance the power."

"If you are a member of the following teams, then you are a member of a criminal youth gang:

Football, hockey, basketball, swimming, volleyball, baseball, softball, and both the varsity and jr. varsity cheerleading squads."

The whole of the auditorium gasped at Rachel's audacity. She had, basically, just labeled all the organized sports teams within the school a criminal gang.

"Time!" Artie called out. He was using his stop watch to control the minutes. "Mr. Richards will cross examine." He reset the watch and nodded his head for Zach Richards to begin his counter argument.

_**Zach**_

Zach was well aware that Rachel was going to argue that the sports teams were gangs. She made it quite clear in her outline. A part of him even agreed with her assessment but that wasn't his job. His job was to argue that she was wrong and she had made his job very easy by outlining a very specific criteria for gang activity. Gang activity that she claimed occurred within the schools hallways and classrooms and cafeteria. If any of the members on any of the teams were engaged in the criminal activities she suggested they would all be in jail.

The girl was losing her marbles. She needed proof of the crimes in order to prove her argument. If she had proof of such crimes, why the hell were the halls still full of jocks? He would never understand the diva. He did respect her, however; she was stubborn and whip smart. He would not take her skills lightly, so he prepared himself to attack her argument at its core.

"There are no gangs at McKinley High School. The tolerance for criminal activity at this school is zero. Any student caught engaging in criminal activity is summarily expelled. There are clubs, teams, and organizations at this school but there are no gangs. None of these clubs, teams or organizations meet the specific gang criteria you suggested Ms. Berry."

At this point in his delivery Zach decided to turn his swagger on. He was a tall boy with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes that rivaled Rachel's in their expressiveness. He was dressed formally for the debate, wearing the standard black blazer with the Titan logo emblazoned on his pocket. He snorted loudly in Rachel's direction before continuing his argument.

"The debate team wears the McKinley logo Ms. Berry, why didn't you include us on your list? Wearing a common logo and colors does not make one a member of a criminal gang. One must have _proof_ of criminal activity before one makes such accusations Ms. Berry. That is known as defamation of character and you could be sued for slander or libel in a court of law by making such accusations without having actual _proof_ to back up your words. Do you have such proof Ms. Berry? I think not, else you would have led with that in your constructive."

"Furthermore, the participation in group sports has proven to be beneficial to the school and the community as a whole. Each event is attended by parents, relatives, friends within the community, and also much of the student body. These teams create a common goal amongst many and promote unity and pride in our school. The sports events provide venues for the other clubs within the school to perform as well. The pep band and marching band perform at many of the games. Even you, Ms. Berry, performed at a hockey game recently representing the glee club. If these sports teams are '_criminal gangs,_' Ms. Berry, why did you lend your support to one of their events?"

Half of the students in the audience started to clap for Zach, and some of them were snickering in Rachel's direction; many were whispering about forthcoming slushie facials.

"Time." Artie called out and decided to appeal to the audience for their cooperation.

"Please refrain from applauding at this time in the debate. This is a distraction for both participants."

Most of the students settled back down but some of them were still laughing, primarily a handful of football and basketball players in the front rows.

_**Rachel**_

"Proof." Mr. Richards spoke the magic word. One should never ask such a loaded question of an opponent without knowing the answer before hand Mr. Richards."

Rachel nodded at Zach and loaded up her guns. The auditorium became eerily silent. Everyone in the school knew how very intense Rachel Berry could be. She had that look upon her face. That look she acquired right before she performed on stage. Her brown eyed gaze grew dark but was steady, calm and fixed; as though she would conquer the world. Her posture was perfect and straight, yet she seemed completely at ease and ready. She was the essence of confidence.

"Tell me Mr. Richards," Rachel paused for a moment and flicked the light on her lectern on and off. In the back of the room, Brittany whispered to Puck who started the projector.

"Hypothetically, for example." Rachel continued. "If Azimo Adams was walking down the street with a big gulp slushie in his hand, and decided to throw it in the face of an elderly woman who was crossing the street, would that be considered a criminal act? Now, let us say there were seventeen people who witnessed this behavior; it would be incontrovertibly true that he had committed such an act. Would his actions be considered criminal?"

Mumbling and grumbling could be heard within the audience as the students watched the images floating across the natural colored scrim. Rachel continued to make her argument in time with the video that was being shown behind her.

"Or, for instance, if Jared Paulson and Gary Todd walked into a McDonalds and grabbed the manager on shift, dragged him outside and tossed him in the dumpster. Would that be a criminal act? How about this situation, what if Nick Minetti walked into the First American Bank, and while waiting in line, he fondled the woman in front of him. What if he grabbed her behind and pinched her breasts in front of the rest of the customers at the bank? Would that be considered a criminal act?"

"What if Valerie Johns, Amy Carson, and Penny Hodges were in the convenience store helping themselves to whatever they wanted without paying? After stealing whatever they wanted, they walked up to the girl who was working the counter and pulled her hair. After pulling her hair, they spit in her face and shoved her against the wall a few times until she fell on the ground in tears? And, finally, before leaving, they pulled out a can of spray paint and decorated the door with profanity. Would that be a criminal act?"

During this whole time while Rachel was speaking, a video of the described attacks was flashing across the scrim for every student to see. However, the shots were of Azimo, Jared, Gary, Nick, and the Cheerios, committing such acts upon other students on school grounds. She made sure to edit the video so the focus was blurred on _everyone's_ faces, but it was plain and clear to all who watched who the assailants were. Each act was witnessed by no less than ten other students standing around watching and laughing and pointing. Many of the witnesses were fellow sports team members and Cheerios.

Rachel paused after the clips finished playing; she wanted the visuals to sink into the minds of the audience for a moment.

The silence was deafening. The look of shock upon the faces in the crowd was not feigned. Some of the kids had tears in their eyes, others looked angry, some embarrassed, but most were just dumbstruck. They couldn't believe that Rachel had the guts to run that film. She was gonna be dead meat. The jocks were going to kill her. These thoughts were streaming through the majority of minds and many of the students were shrinking into their seats.

It was just as Sue Sylvester said; they _were_ frightened worms, dying to get back to their burrowing holes. She had just shown them all the truth in vivid color and they were terrified to be confronted with it. 'Powerless to help themselves.' But Sue was wrong about one thing. They cared about what happened, she could see it on their faces. She was getting to them, and eventually, she _would_ get them. She would give them the power to help themselves before this year was out.

"I repeat point two in my list of criteria for a criminal youth gang. Criminal behavior and intimidation is defined as such: A felony or misdemeanor act committed by a juvenile that would be a felony or misdemeanor act if committed by an adult."

"What you all just witnessed were the crimes of Assault, Second degree Sexual Assault, Larceny, more Assault and Vandalism. Those are all felony crimes that come with prison sentences. The lesser crimes you witnessed were Harassment and Stalking committed by the perpetrators as well as some of the witnesses. They, too, are serious misdemeanors."

"Why are these students still walking these hallways and attending classes Mr. Richards? Why have these students not been summarily expelled Mr. Richards?' "

Poor Zach, he had no idea what he had gotten himself into. All he could do was gape at the little diva who stood standing with her fists planted on her hips while demanding answers of him. Rachel was completely insane! Those jocks were gonna kill him too, just for being a part of this fiasco. With Sue Sylvester running the school the debate club didn't stand a chance in hell of getting any mercy.

Rachel turned to address the student body and answer the questions she posed for Zach.

"Because they belong to a powerful _criminal_ _gang_. A sanctioned, supported, _gang_ of bullying barbaric baboo...-"

"Time." Artie shouted out. This was a _disaster_, he hadn't noticed the video at first because he was on the stage facing the audience. If he had noticed the video he would have cut Rachel off a lot sooner. She was not allowed to use visual aids in a verbal debate. She cheated! Oh My God. He was going to get murdered by...by...by... everyone. What was she thinking?

(Stomp) "I have two more minutes left on my rebuttal Artie!"

"No you don't Rachel. We're done. That's it, the debate is over! It was just a ppp..pr... practice anyway," Artie started to stutter. Ww...we won't be using _this _debate in our meet at Carmel in two weeks. Thank you all for coming." Artie was nodding nervously and pointing at the exits."

Sue Sylvester decided to put him out of his misery, she grabbed the handles of his wheel chair and gave him a shove toward the back of the stage. She bent over his microphone and addressed the still stunned student body.

"That was a very interesting presentation by our _debatable_ debate club. You may exit the auditorium by rows. Start with the back row first. **Streisand**! I will see you in my office!"

Rachel's eyes grew very big in response to Sue Sylvester's summons.

She had a disclaimer to make before she got hauled off to the principals office. Her voice was filled with strains of built up tension, and she could barely speak, but she needed to make this final statement before the students left the auditorium.

"I was the benefactor of some video clips taken by an anonymous source. These were emailed to me last week. I'm assuming the source is the mysterious PrankMaster. If he has these videos I'm sure he has many mo...-"

But Rachel was cut off in mid sentence; her microphone had lost its power and she glanced over to see Sue Sylvester dangling the extension cord in her hand. Ugh. (Stomp!)

...

_**Lunchtime**_

Most of the glee kids were already seated at their table. Lauren was trading a loaf of homemade tuna sandwiches for slices of the greasy pizza that was on the cafeteria menu. She was bargaining with Sam, Mike and Tina who were turning out to be very tough marks. Kurt and Mercedes were idly gossiping while Quinn, Santana, Brittany and Puck were quietly discussing the debate. Artie, Rachel and Finn were the only members who were not present. It was assumed that Artie was _in hiding,_ and Rachel was still in conference with Sue Sylvester.

Finn was seated with his basketball teammates. He never sat with the gleeks anymore, not since Rachel and Quinn had started dating; it was much too demoralizing for him to wrap his head around the idea that both of his ex girlfriends had turned _gay_ after dating him. Of course that's how he would think about the situation. Everything was about Finn Hudson.

Even that stupid debate. Finn believed that Rachel's whole argument was designed to lure _him_ away from playing sports. She knew his mother was terrified that Finn would mix himself in with the wrong crowd of friends because he was so impressionable (dumb). Calling the sports teams _gangs_ could really screw things up for him. If his mom found out that he was part of a _gang,_ she would make him quit playing. The more he thought about these things the angrier he was becoming, and before he knew it, he was stomping over to the glee table to have a word with...

...All hell was breaking loose at that little table of unassuming teens.

Azimo Adams, Mickey Everson, Gary Todd, Jared Paulson, Nate Minetti, Jenna Doran, Amy Carson, Penny Hodges, Jeremy Miller and Valerie Johns were surrounding the gleeks, making accusations and threats.

Well, Jeremy wasn't, he was trying to talk some sense into this CraZy group who decided everything that had gone wrong that day, and might possibly go wrong in the very near future, was the fault of Kurt Hummel, Mercedes Jones and Rachel Berry.

"They know who the Skunker is. They're the one's spreading all the rumors about the basketball game and the swim meet...and... and Berry had all those vids. They're gonna talk or they're gonna get their faces bashed in!" Nate Minetti accused and attempted to pull his fist back but was being restrained by a very angry Noah Puckerman. Minetti was tall and slim, and didn't stand a chance against Noah and his _guns._

"BACK THE FUCK OFF!" Noah shouted in Nate's face before shoving him back into the empty table behind the gleeks. The table was empty because the students that had been sitting there fled the moment the gleeks were surrounded.

Quinn was standing with her arms crossed and that hazel gaze was tearing into the flustered jocks and Cheerios. The Cheerios melted under her penetrating glare. They were all on the junior varsity squad and had taken over being _nasty bitches_ since Stephanie Hanson had disappeared. Santana and Brittany flanked Quinn on either side, making it clear to any who watched, that the Unholy Trinity was the ultimate dominate force.

The Latina was tense and ready to strike. She held the gaze of Azimo Adams until he averted his eyes and glanced at the floor. No way he was gonna take on Lopez, she was scarier than 'Scary Quinn,' when her eyes got all black and full of death.

Brittany did what Brittany does best; she neutralized the situation.

"Hi Jared, Hi Gary," Brittany bobbed her head at the boys as if they were her best friends.

"Did you guys get the pee stains out of your hockey jerseys yet? Rachel has some Dyetergent. I'm sure she would loan it to you if you asked her real nice. I'm not sure if it works on pee but probly. I mean, if it washed all that black gunk off... you know, when Betty Boop bopped Finn's face and balls...I'm sure a little glee pee would rinse right out with Rachel's Dyetergent."

Jared Paulson and Gary Todd's faces were flaming red. They were still utterly mortified by the glee pee incident. And no, they hadn't gotten the pee stains out of their jerseys. What had Pierce just said about Hudson's balls? Jared and Gary turned their heads as one, to gape at the big doofus. His face was scarlett red, he was shaking his head back and forth and muttering under his breath about, 'Booby traps'.

"Mercedes, Kurt." Quinn addressed her diva friends, her voice was a coiled spring; she was ready to pounce at any who dared to interrupt. "Please inform _these," _...she eyed the group again to make sure they were paying attention..."_concerned students, _of the emails you received."

Mercedes and Kurt both nodded a little frantically, they sputtered and squeaked simultaneously.

"The Skunker said he was going to prank the basketball game tonight and wanted me to start the rumors so everyone would go to the game." Kurt blurted.

"The Color Coder of Cheerios said he was going to teach the swimmers some new strokes at Saturday's meet. He wanted me to...um...the same as Kurt... you know, spread it around like we always do. I'd think you would all be happy to be getting a warning this time. Duh! I mean, now you have a choice about what to do..." Mercedes trailed off, knowing she had gotten her point across, but as an afterthought, she added, "He didn't tell us who he is, he just signed the email, 'The Color Coder of Cheerios,' and Kurt's as 'The Skunker,'... I'll show you the email if you want to see it."

All of the jocks at the table seemed to deflate with Mercedes answer. They weren't going to get answers from Hummel or Jones, or even Berry. The PrankMaster was only using the gleeks because they were losers. He also made sure they were protected by blackmailing Fabray and Lopez.

"You guys all think I'm some kind of moron but I know who the Skunker is." Finn, slowly but surely caught up with the conversation and decided it was time to share his epiphany.

All nineteen sets of eyes were trained on him. His lips curled into that goofy grin he thought was so smooth; he nodded his head cockily, as if to say - oh yeah, who's the man now?, before making his declaration.

"Mr. Schuester is the Skunker!"

Oh. My. God!

**To Be Continued.**

_This is turning out to be a really long Scene, but I don't want to leave anything out. All of Rachel's little plots and schemes are starting to coalesce. I hope you stick around to see what happens. I am really going to try and get the rest of this scene up by Wednesday night. _

_I know a lot of you would like to see more Faberry. The next chapter is fully loaded with Quinn and Rachel time, as well as a lot of Britanna. I haven't meant to neglect the girls, but with each chapter more and more cast mates are getting added and I want to include everyone._

_Thanks so much to those of you who continue to read and review. :)_


	33. Girl in a Pink Parka

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_Hi everyone. I'm back on track, my computer is out of the hospital and all my files were safe. "Yay!" As Brittany would say. I started this chapter with the basketball game. I haven't forgotten about Rachel's conference with Sue, nor Finn's grand announcement at the end of the last chapter. I intend to address the reactions to his genius in full time. Thanks so much for the well wishes on behalf of my computer and your patience. _

_... _

**Chapter XXXIV, "Girl in the Pink Parka"**

**ACT III, SCENE I: RUMORS **(Continued)

(Tuesday evening.)

_**The Game**_

Poor Mickey. At one point during the first quarter the fans in the crowd thought it might be funny to do a random countdown. Well, not the fans per se, they had a little encouragement from a certain Cheerio. There were still five minutes and eighteen seconds left when Brittany seemed to fixate on the running time clock.

"Eighteen," she shouted... "seventeen, sixteen," she continued, jumping up and down, swishing her pompoms in the air in perfect time with the dwindling bright orange numbers.

"Fifteen, fou**rteen, thirteen..." **Santana and Quinn joined in. **"TWELVE, ELEVEN." **The rest of the Cheerios added their deep throaty support. _**"TEN, NINE, EIGHT" **_The entire crowd made itself heard.

Sam, Mike, Finn, and Tim Braxton shared the court with Mickey Everson, who was currently dribbling the ball. The opposing team was playing a very loose 'zone' defense that was bordering on a 'man to man' defense, which made it difficult for Mickey to find and open player to pass the ball to. He desperately wanted to pass the ball. Like, _right now! _The crowd was counting down because of _something_ and he damned well didn't want to be in possession of the ball when they got to zero.

Mickey was the point guard, which meant that he was the best ball handler. He never had a problem keeping his opponents from stealing the ball from him, but, right now, he didn't give a shit if the ball got stolen; he didn't want the fucking ball.

_**"SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR..." **_

Nevermind that more than half the crowd showed up at the game carrying fly swatters. Oh God. This was so not funny. The gym was filled with people who were eager to watch the basketball team get blown up with skunk gas and glued to the floor. There was so much excitement and anticipation among the '_fans_' he felt like crying.

_**"THREE,TWO..."**_

Oh hell, Mickey decided it wasn't worth it. He took a wild shot from nearly half court, hurling the ball like a panicking right fielder, all in the hopes of avoiding his impending doom.

_**"ONE."**_

The ball sailed through the air like a rocket, it hit the backboard soundly and rebounded with such force that Finn Hudson recoiled away from it instead of grabbing the rebound. He ducked and covered his head while letting out a high pitched 'eeeeeeeeeee.'

The crowd was roaring with laughter.

"TIME OUT! TIME OUT!" Coach Bledsoe was frantically making that T sign with his hands and screaming at the referee.

**TWEET! **"Time out for McKinley."

**"What in blanking bells is wrong with you Everson?" **The coach shouted at his point guard. **"There's still five minutes left on the clock! What were you thinking?" **He shoved his finger into the boys chest, poking him several times before switching his attention to Finn Hudson. **"Hudson you big Lurch you're supposed to catch the ball when it rebounds, not scream like a girl and duck. Geeze O'Peets! Get your act together or I'm benching the both of you."**

The whole idea of starting the _RUMORS _was knowing that people would truly believe them. Not like other rumors that are filled with a bit of truth but are largely embellished with every retelling. No. Rachel knew that these rumors would be universally embraced. Because, contrary to what Sue Sylvester believed about the student body not caring, or being powerless; Rachel knew the truth. She was one of those so called 'losers' and understood the type of psyche that was required to survive on a daily basis in a hostile environment.

These rumors represented a little hope to the student body. A little fun. A little payback. Payback offered them on a silver platter by an anonymous 'anti-hero' known as: 'The Skunker, The Color Coder of Cheerios, The Bard of Bad Poetry, The Tricky Trickster, The Stealer of Pens, The Bagger of Bloggers, The Heartless Hacker, The Master of Mayhem, and ultimately, The PrankMaster.

Rachel felt a little proud that the invisible nemesis of bullies had inspired so many descriptive aliases. Not proud in the sense that her head would get '_fat_' again. Proud in the sense that her _Play_ was generating movement for change on a very visceral level for the whole of the student body.

A good portion of the crowd brought props with them. Fly swatters. They actually brought fly swatters and were waving them in time with the Cheerios cheers. Fly swatters that sent a message loud and clear.

We would love it if you all got 'stuck' to the Flypaper Floor! We would love to whack you then!

Well, maybe that was a little harsh. The presence of the fly swatters did communicate, however, that a generous portion of the crowd was cheering for the PrankMaster and not the basketball players.

Rachel was seated in the bleachers, surrounded by her glee club friends, watching her _girls _jump up and down while swishing their pompoms and strutting their stuff. Giles and Cindy were near by and so was Marcus Hahn, Zach Richards, Allison Humphrey and many other students who had been magnets for slushies, dumpsters, and mashed potatoes. Rachel didn't think it was a conscious effort on the part of the kids who had been most victimized to sit near one another. However, it was curious that they all seemed to congregate around the glee club. The biggest losers in the school; losers who had the guts to paint the hockey team yellow. Yellow with pee. She snickered with that joyous thought before focusing her attention back on the game.

During the second quarter the glee club struck with their balloons again - regular, helium filled balloons. Puck had gotten Lauren a gigantic bundle for their one month anniversary of dating or whatever it was those two did together. No one was able to figure out exactly how that relationship worked and they were all afraid to ask. They didn't want to ask Puck because, well, Puck was very touchy about his reputation as a lady killer. But, it was clear to everyone that Lauren hadn't allowed Puck anywhere near first base yet. They were afraid to ask Lauren how she and Puck were getting along, because, well... it was Lauren.

Lauren decided to share her bounty. She handed each of the glee club members a balloon, winked, and chuckled, "ha, ha, ha," like Rachel's freaky clown from her video game, then handed them each a long and pointy corsage pin. Puck demonstrated how to use the balloons to get maximum pleasure from each explosion.

It was simple. Every time Mickey Everson was in possession of the ball someone would POP a balloon, preferably when he attempted to shoot the ball. Second best was when he was about to pass it off. Each time Mickey attempted to take a shot a balloon went, **"POP." **But the sound was really more of a loud, **"CRACK,"** a concussion of air being released and it caused the whole crowd to flinch - until they realized what the noise was. Then everyone started to laugh and soon the Cheerio's joined the party with one of their spelling cheers.

**"Give me a P,...'P,'** resounded loudly throughout the gym. Everyone knew the drill by now; they were actually looking forward to the Cheerios spelling cheers after what happened at the hockey games. **"Give me and O,...'O,'...give me a P,... "P."**

**"What's it spell?"**

**"POP!"**

**"What's it spell?"**

**"POP!"**

**"What's it spell?"**

**"POP!" "POP!" "POP!"**

The poor boy didn't have a chance in hell of making a basket. Every time he began the motion of raising his arms he heard explosions, and each time he thought it was the basketball exploding. After the first few 'POP'S he realized it was just that _fucking glee club_ messing with him. However, all of his shots were misfired with a level of incompetence that was truly impressive. After Mickey's third air ball Mr. Bledsoe called another time out. He started to shout before they even formed a huddle.

**"I have to keep you on the blankety blank floor because no one else can handle that ball like you. This game is too close for me to risk any one else at point guard. But do not... do _NOT_ take another blanking shot! You got me Everso...-"**

Coach Bledsoe's speech was cut off in mid rant when Santana Lopez strutted to the center of the gym floor and shouted something at the huddle of basketball players.

_**"Hey Mickey!"**_

A second later the pep band started playing the familiar catchy tune, which was being directed by the glee clubs piano guy, Brad, who just always seemed to be around whenever they needed him.

The mob of fans cheered with jubilation, knowing they were about to experience something unforgettable.

_"Oh Mickey, you're so fine,_

_you're so fine please blow your mind."_

Santana chanted at the basketball player who was trying to hide himself behind Finn Hudson's monstrous frame. It seemed as though the fates had cursed him on the very day he was named. He had enough to worry about just trying to survive for the rest of the game and now the Cheerios were going to mock him.

_"Hey Mickey, hey Mickey, hey Mickey."_

Santana was joined on the floor by Brittany and Quinn. Each of them wagging there fingers at the quivering ballplayer, making that age old gesture that means no, no, no. They the planted the fist of their free hand on their hips in unison and continued to chant.

_"Oh Mickey, you're so fine,_

_you're so fine please blow your mind."_

The rest of the Cheerio's ran onto the floor to join The Unholy Trinity. The girls had practiced this routine a zillion times but never had the opportunity to use it before. They were all fans of 'Bring It On,' and had, just for fun, made up their own McKinley version of dance moves, hand springs, break dancing and roboting.

Santana took the lead again and did what she does so very well; she used her incredible body to hypnotize the crowd, all the while singing the lyrics with that sultry voice in a way which came off as pouty and scolding simultaneously.

_"You've been bouncing 'round all night, and that's a little long._

_You think you've got the right, but I think you've got it wrong._

_Why don't we say goodnight? So you can get blown up... Mickey._

She snapped her head in such a way that her pony tail seemed to share her attitude.

_Cause when you say you will, it always means you won't._

_You're givin' me the chills, baby, please baby... don't run away... baby._

_Oh Mickey, what a pity, you don't understand._

_You need to be more smart if you want to keep your hand._

_Oh Mickey you're so petty can't you understand._

The fans were going wild. They were all standing up and swaying with the tempo of the sassy music. The kids with the fly swatters were making up their own routines. If one looked at the crowd from afar, all that would be seen were little blobs of red, yellow, green, blue - every color a fly swatter comes in; bopping and dipping to a manic, staccato like rhythm.

The energy was infectious and it fed the Cheerio's performance. They halted with perfect timing, freezing in the midst of their robot moves in preparation. Together they pointed their fingers at the shellshocked basketball player and shouted out the next verse.

_It's guys like you, Mickey._

_Ooh what you do Mickey, do Mickey._

_Don't run too far Mickey._

_Don't break my heart Mickey._

Santana sauntered in front of the line of Cheerios, polishing her fingernails on her uniform, seemingly disinterested before finishing the final verse.

_Now when you take it in the... everyone will know!_

_You'll smell like a big...and ruin the entire show._

_There's something you can do, so don't say no, Mickey._

_So come on, give in whatever way you can._

_Anyway you want to, you can take it like a man._

_Oh please baby, please, don't leave us in this jam Mickey._

The Cheerio's slowly exited the floor, leaving Brittany, Quinn, and Santana to finish up the last bits.

_"Hey Mickey!" _

The three of them finished like they had started, wagging their fingers at the naughty boy and thrusting their hips at him with derision.

_"Oh Mickey, you're so fine,_

_you're so fine please blow your mind."_

_"Hey Mickey, hey Mickey, hey Mickey."_

_"Oh Mickey, you're so fine,_

_you're so fine please blow your mind."_

As the pep band trailed off slowly, and softly, The Unholy Trinity skipped off the court, one at a time, to the roaring cheers of a crowd that was out of its collective mind.

Oh. My. God.

Mickey was silently wallowing in the knowledge that it wasn't even half time yet when Coach Bledsoe launched into another loud rant.

**"I don't know what you did to the Cheerios, Everson, or those kids with the fly swatters. I don't even want to know, but you better blanking fix it before the next blanking game. We want fans, for blanks sake, not a bloody firing squad!"**

Coach Bledsoe was actually shouting, _'blankety blank,'_ and _'blanking this and blanking that,'_because he didn't want to get in trouble like Mr. Simmon's did for swearing at the kids during the hockey game.

The third quarter was played without incident. The score was 64 to 52 in favor of the opponent but McKinley had a chance to come back from the disaster of the first half. Coach Bledsoe had calmed down and so had the players. Mickey Everson, Finn Hudson, and Tim Braxton were still unloading the ball as though it was a hot potato, which left Evans and Chang to pick up the slack for them. Those two had really stepped up to the task and were playing a fantastic game.

The Coach knew that Everson, Hudson, and Braxton had done _something _to gain the ire of the entire school and that was why he kept them in the game. Whatever they were afraid of, he was damned sure that they would get their just rewards. He knew all about the hockey team and the football team and that Berry girls little speech in the auditorium. He always tried to keep his nose out of the interactions between the students. It was best for them to learn how to stand up for themselves. But, he would not tolerate having bullies on his team. When this game was all over those boys were going to talk to him about what in fucking hell (silent thoughts) was going on.

The fans settled down during the third quarter because they really didn't think anything of substance would happen until the game was almost over. When the fourth quarter began the anticipation started to swell again. The pep band was playing the creepy Jaws music, just like at the hockey game, and everyone knew that meant something great was going to happen soon.

Sam Evans was in charge of the next step in this Operation. His job was really quite simple. All he had to do was spill his drinking water all over the floor during their next time out. The players would get the soles of their shoes all wet and have to dry them off on the floor towels. The floor towels that Sam swapped out during half time. Rachel treated the towels in her Lab with a dusting of powdered glue, which could be activated with water. The glue was so powerful that once the reaction occurred, it would be impossible to unstick whatever it adhered to. It worked especially well on rubber and wood.

Splash!

"Oops!"

**"Evans you clumsy dork, you got water all over. Go get the** **blanking floor towels and clean this up. All of you wipe your feet before you get back on the court."**

Poor Coach Bledsoe, he really was a decent guy but had no idea that his directions to Sam Evans would set in motion a series of events that rivaled... well... nothing like what was about to happen had ever occurred before.

The Edison team backed off on their intense defense because of how weird the McKinley players were behaving throughout the game. Most of the schools in the district were aware that when you played against McKinley, something 'Hinkey' could occur. The Edison Eagles were not going to get sucked into the Titans vortex of rainbow colors, putrid stinks, and pelting pee pranks. Oh no. They were playing a very tight zone defense and didn't even bother to try and block the toss in from the sidelines that went to their opponents point guard. It was fairly obvious from the perfomance McKinley's cheerleaders put on that 'Mickey's' days were numbered.

Rachel's 'Mondo Bondo' took about thirty seconds to finish its chemical reaction, which left plenty of time for the boys to get in their positions and stick themselves firmly in place. The referee handed the ball to Sam on the sidelines who immediately passed it off to Mickey. He caught the ball, dribbled in twice before he attempted to ease on down the court. He nearly fell over in the attempt to pick his feet up. Instead, he wobbled in place with his mouth hanging open and continued to bounce the ball distractedly until it dawned on him what occurred.

The Flypaper Floor!

The rest of the players were caught as well. They had all run onto the court to take their positions only to find themselves melded to the floor.

**Tweet! **The referee blew his whistle to stop the play. Or, rather, find out why the players had stopped.

The crowd was stunned. They didn't really think the Flypaper Floor could be a possibility. It was much more likely that the basketball would explode. But Wow! Only the McKinley players were stuck though. Sam, Finn, Mike, Tim and Mickey were all in varied stages of wiggling in their shoes, and frantically waving their arms to maintain their balance. Mickey put the basketball down beside him on the floor and decided to untie his shoes. The rubber of his soles appeared to be melted into the hardwood floor.

A moment later, while the entire crowd was joyfully distracted by the awkward struggle the McKinley players were having with the Flypaper Floor, Puck fired a hollow dart into the basketball. He was hidden under the bleachers, patiently waiting for this very moment. The moment when Mickey Everson would put the ball down.

Rachel made him promise not to take the shot unless he was certain that no one would get hit. The ball had to be perfectly still and away from Mickey's body on the floor. The dart wouldn't hurt too bad, even if someone did get hit. It was nearly identical to the darts she used in the Halloween scene, except that it wasn't loaded with tranquilizer.

This dart was completely hollow. When it struck the basketball it would slowly implode, releasing the aromatic gas she filled its insides with.

Mickey was just about to step out of his unlaced shoes when he heard the hissing. He watched as the basketball seemed to be deflating. How strange, he thought curiously, not even thinking about his earlier fears. The ball was deflating, not exploding. How could that be a bad thing? He picked it up and spun it around, trying to figure out what was making that sound and...

sssssssss...

"Pee...ewww "

The game was over.

Some of the fans felt cheated because they never got a chance to use their fly swatters, but Sue Sylvester's insistence that they all leave in an orderly fashion sort of put a damper on their fun. Everyone plugged their noses as they followed the Interim Principal's orders.

**"Everybody Out! Now! Don't push, don't shove and _don't, if you value you useless lives , Run_!"**

Pew, Pew, Pew.

...

_Wednesday afternoon _

**Rachel **

She and Kurt were delayed in meeting the group at Heartrace Hill because they needed to tidy up the mess they had made in her Lab Oratory. Or, that was the excuse. They were really putting the final touches on the decorations for Brittany's party. Rachel was throwing a surprise birthday party for Brittany. It wasn't even Brittany's birthday but that didn't matter; Rachel would do whatever needed doing to ease her friends worries. Brittany was upset that Rachel hadn't attended her birthday party during the summer. And, with Rachel's birthday on the near horizon, Brittany had become increasingly obsessed with something she called, 'A VOID IN THE BALANCE.'

Which sounded suspiciously like some type of Pandora Wars reference about the 'FORCE,' or some such nonsense that Sam was always quoting. But Brittany existed in her own Universe, by which she was the Master, in terms of personal philosophy. So, Rachel had cleared her mind of clutter to focus on what her exceptionally brilliant friend was trying to explain to her.

_THE PREVIOUS SUNDA_Y

_"It's_ _A VOID IN THE BALANCE_ _Rach, and it makes my stomach hurt. I wanted you to come to my party really bad. I know you didn't feel like you were welcome because of San and Quinn, but that never stopped you before. You always just acted like they were bugs or something, and I could tell you could step on them whenever you wanted to, but you would never do that because you don't like to hurt things. Not even bugs. So, I don't get it Rach. Why didn't you come to my party? You're birthday is coming up and we're going to have such a fun party and I'm going to be there and be so happy. And we're going to do Karoky and dance and I don't want to be sad Rach."_

_"What is 'A Void in the Balance,' Brittany? I've never heard that term before." Rachel asked, because she was trying to pinpoint, exactly, what it was that had suddenly made her friend so 'unbalanced,' and upset._

_"You know, like, when you're on the playground and you're doing the teeter totter with a friend... and one of you is bigger than the other so you have to push real hard off the ground to make sure your friend can get down on the other side?"_

_Rachel nodded her head a little uncertainly. She never really liked the teeter totter. The few times she agreed to get on one with a_ _'friend,'_ _that so called friend would leap off when Rachel was in the_ _'up in the air' position. Those were not good memories so she decided not to finish playing them in her mind and got back to listening to Brittany's explanation._

_"And then you do stuff like try and make the board balance out perfectly, even though one of you weighs more than the other."_

_Another uncertain nod._

_"So, um, the one who's smaller scoots closer to the center because that balances out your weight difference right?"_

_Nod._

_"And then you're even, and you worked it out so you could sit together on the same plane, and look across at each other and smile because you know that the balance of power is even too...right?_

_Nod._

_"You learn to trust each other on the teeter totter Rachel. San taught me how to do it right because some of the kids I tried to teeter with would jump off and make me slam into the ground real hard. That always hurt my feelings because I thought it was mean and I would never do that to someone. San taught me to teeter only with her and Quinn because we all trusted one another. They would never leave 'a void in the balance' on the teeter totter with me Rach. They would never make me fall. Do you understand now Rach?"_

_Nod._

_"I don't know why Rachel but now that the four of us are friends, everything is really_ _balanced. Not just because we're, you know, couples too, but because we're all really friends. I always felt like we were missing someone... there was a big hole that always seemed to suck us towards it. It was real hard sometimes, not to get pulled in, and distracted, and do dumb stuff. Well, San and Quinn did all the dumb stuff, but I wasn't strong enough to keep them both out of that hole. Do you see what I mean Rach?_

_Nod._

_"Now that we have you, Rachel, there isn't a void. You and me together are super strong and San and Quinn could never jump in a hole when we're around."_

_Rachel started to giggle before responding to Brittany's summary._

_"They certainly give it their best effort on occasion still, don't they Britt?" Together they burst into laughter. They were on the sofa in Rachel's living room having this conversation while Quinn and Santana were out getting snacks for the movie marathon the four of them were going to enjoy together._

_"Brittany, I understand everything you just said to me, and I just want to say that you are the most amazing person I have ever known and am positive you are the most amazing person I will ever know. I love you Britt and thank you so much for explaining that to me...but, I still don't understand why you are so upset now? That I didn't go to your party last summer? Why didn't you get upset about it when we started hanging out together?"_

_Brittany slouched back on the sofa, she propped her long legs on the coffee table in front of them and bit her bottom lip while she was thinking._

_"I don't know Rach. I think it's because last summer I could feel that things would change and was really looking forward to you coming to my party. And when you didn't come I felt the 'void' really big. I didn't tell San how disappointed I was because I knew she would do something really mean to you for not coming. But now, Rach, with your birthday coming up it just makes my heart hurt to think about it. I feel like I wish I could have a do over or something. If I could go back to last Summer, I would get in my car and drive to your house and make you come to my party!"_

That last fierce statement was why she and Kurt were late for sledding on Heartrace Hill. Brittany would get her 'do over.' It wasn't Summer and it wasn't Brittany's birthday but Rachel was determined to erase that 'VOID IN THE BALANCE' from Brittany's mind.

They had a half day of school on Wednesday for teacher conferences so Rachel organized the rest of the day for her friends and the glee club. Sledding at Heartrace Hill followed by Brittany's surprise party. Santana and Quinn would make sure the three girls would be the last to make it back to the Berry residence. When Brittany arrived she would be completely surprised. Her Dad and Daddy would attend, Peter, Uncle Ricky, Minnie Sparkle and Gillian Monroe.

The entire glee club was coming as well as Jeremy Miller, who was becoming a dear friend to all of them. The Unholy Trinity intended to make his life a living hell, but during the whole 'Schmanson Affair,' Jeremy had redeemed himself. He was slowly becoming a part of their little band of losers. Rachel thought inviting him to the party would help to solidify his inclusion, and hopefully, for Jeremy, he would never have the fear of being friendless.

Kurt was driving them in his father's souped-up pick-up. She thought the boy looked completely at ease behind the wheel of the monstrous Chevy, which didn't make any sense at all because Kurt was all about style. But he just seemed so cool and calm driving that mammoth truck. Neither he nor Rachel were very big people so she imagined they looked ridiculous sitting in that enormous cab, barely able to see over the dash. Perhaps she should have brought them both pillows to sit upon. She snorted out loud with the thought catching the boy diva's attention.

"What, pray tell, has you snorting in a very unladylike fashion?" Kurt asked with a smirk that suggested he would enjoy whatever piece of extraordinary blather Rachel might have to offer.

Rachel shrugged nonchalantly, blew a puff of air at her bangs (which still needed to be trimmed) before grinning at Kurt and sharing her thoughts.

"I was thinking I should have brought us pillows to sit on so we could look like properly grown people sitting in this Monster Truck. I hope we don't get pulled over by the police because we appear to be minors who have run away in their daddy's truck."

Kurt snickered.

"I love this truck. My father and I don't have many things in common but we both agree this truck is Macho! I will never be that kind of guy, Rachel, but I do love driving this Macho beast on occasion. I feel daring, like a pirate or something. Like, maybe we could pull up to a liquor store, run in wearing ski masks and demand they give us all their Shirley Temple Mixers!"

Rachel burst into giggles at the boys imagination.

He was dressed in very warm looking, wide rail corduroy trousers, a thick brown coat, sorel boots, and his hat was one of those fur lined caps with flaps and brim. He looked like that crazy husband from Fargo, which was kind of funny and also kind of scary considering the fantasy the boy had just confessed to.

Kurt joined Rachel in her laughter and they continued to chatter about nothing and everything all at once. Rachel pulled on her pink beanie as they neared their destination. It matched the Parka she was wearing perfectly and had a tassel on top that bobbed and wove with whatever excited movement she happened to make with her head. Sometimes, she shook her head just to feel the pleasant movement the fluffy bobble would make. It was like a live action exclamation point and gave her much pleasure. She was doing it now; bobbing her head to the tempo of the joy she felt at being so close to Heartrace Hill.

Kurt was watching Rachel bob her head back and forth, her pigtails were pinned in place by her beanie, but the tassel had a life of its own. She was adorable. He could tell she really enjoyed the way her tassel was swaying, but didn't really understand why she was making herself look more like an animated character than she already was. He pulled over to the side of the road where all the other cars were parked and stared at his friend for a moment before asking her what was going on in that bobble head of hers. She answered his question before he had a chance to ask it.

"I haven't been to this hill for seven years. I'm a little nervous but really excited as well. We came here to visit my Uncle in the Winter before we actually moved to Lima. My dad's brought me tobogganing and that was the first time I ever laid eyes upon Quinn Fabray."

"What?" Kurt gasped at Rachel's statement.

Rachel stopped bobbing her head to glance at the boy. Her giant brown eyes were bright with memory but held the hint of a wistful sadness. Kurt sat back against the bench seat to listen to his friend with quiet respect. He didn't want to pry in the way he usually did when searching for the juicy bits of a story. This was, somehow, special, or private for Rachel.

"I could never forget that face Kurt. I was standing at the top of the hill waiting for my Daddy's to finish their climb. We were taking turns riding down and they had just finished their 'alone turn.' " Rachel used air quotes and rolled her eyes to emphasize how unfair she thought it was that they needed an 'alone turn.'

"I glanced down the hill and saw this girl staring up at me. She looked like something out of a Winter fairy tale. Her hair was sticking out beneath her cap, it was honey blond and long and the parts that were free were blowing in the breeze. Her face was all flushed from her climb but more than anything, Kurt, she was smiling at me with such fondness I thought I would melt on the spot. I felt loved and cherished, adored... all of those things from just one glance. I smiled back at her, and waved, because I couldn't not, but then my fathers trudged up behind her with their toboggan."

Rachel stopped in the telling for a moment to fix her memory on that day and recall the look upon Quinn's face. Quinn had looked at her with all out devotion. Awe. Love. A gaze she had come to know quite well in recent months and one she would never forget from that long ago day.

"And?"

Kurt felt the tingles race along his spine as Rachel recalled this ancient history. Fate, or Karma, or something weirdly spiritual was being put in motion and it made him oddly uncomfortable, but at the same time; hopeful and uplifted, he was filled with yearning and giddy with excitement all at once.

"I acted like a jerk. I don't know why I did it, but I broke my eye contact with her. It felt so intimate, so... portentous. I was just a nine year old girl who didn't have many friends and was known for being rather obnoxious. So, I tore my gaze away and started shouting for my fathers. I threw kind of a mini tantrum on the top of the hill... you know, yelling and stomping my foot to hurry them up. Of course they rushed past her to get to the top so they could shut me up."

"I risked a glance back at the girl and she looked devastated. Like, she thought for certain I was smiling at her, and waving at her, but then she saw my Daddy's and her face just dropped. I felt so bad Kurt. Like I had told a lie. A terrible lie to someone I hadn't even met before. As soon as my Dad's made it to the top of the hill I bullied them in to going down at once. We even cut in line, which we found out later is a really big 'no,no' on Heartrace Hill."

Kurt's eyes were as big as saucers while listening to Rachel tell her story. He nodded his head in agreement when she confessed to her crime of 'cutting in line.' He was amazed the Berry's lived to tell the tale.

"And?...God Rachel you are making me a nervous wreck! What happened then?"

"Nothing." Rachel replied sadly. "When we got back to the top of the hill Quinn was gone. I didn't see her again until freshmen year. She was the first person to greet me at McKinley and that was with a Slushie Facial. I recognized her immediately, of course, but she was not the same girl. She was not that fairy princess on the slope of Heartrace Hill; she didn't smile at me or show any type of interest but disdain. I'm sure she didn't recognize me... why would she? I was just some bratty kid who had ignored her for a fraction of a moment, long, long ago. She was obviously a very important person at McKinley High School. What could a chance encounter, four years previously, possibly have to do with her life as a power hungry Cheerio?"

"Wow!" Was all that Kurt could think of to say. "Wow!...Rachel aren't you going to tell her?...or ask her if she remembers? My god girl, this is some sort of epic... I don't know but it feels kind of epic. I was going to say tragedy, but obviously the tragic part is over and you two are in love, but... my God Rachel... I think you should tell her."

Sigh.

" I don't think I should Kurt. It bothers her so much already, how she treated me before. I don't think it would make her feel good to know that I fell in love with her the moment I saw her on Heartrace Hill. She may not even remember that day Kurt. She probably doesn't. It means a great deal to me, Kurt, but I don't want to hurt Quinn with something she had absolutely no control over. I was the one who turned away that day, not Quinn."

Kurt was shaking his head no. He wasn't sure why it mattered so much, that Rachel tell Quinn this little piece of their history, but it did.

"But Rachel, don't you understand sweetie? You have a chance to make Quinn heal with this a little bit. If what you said is true about your encounter, Rachel, you got to meet, or see, the real Quinn first. The Quinn you're in love with now Rachel. I think Quinn would want to know everything you just told me. All of it. How you felt... how you acted like a 'jerk.' "

" The important people in Quinn's life weren't honest with her Rachel, they didn't honor her, it's how she got so twisted in knots for all that time. Even you, Rachel. Nine year old Rachel told her NO, with the break of a glance and a misdirected tantrum. You told her she could never find love so easily. Not on the side of a hill during the middle of Winter. Not in the span of a heartbeat with just one glance. And I do mean love Rachel. The kind of love that just exists between people sometimes. Not the kind of love you have to work at with most everyone else..."

Kurt trailed off then, he really was a hopeless romantic, but a part of him had always felt desperately sorry for Quinn Fabray. Even at her cutthroat cruelest he had ached for her lonliness. This was important, so important, if he could only make Rachel see.

"Really Kurt? Do you really think I should tell Quinn about this?" Her big doe eyes were filled to the brim with unshed tears. Kurt nodded his head furiously before pulling her in for a hug.

Rachel was looking forward to going sledding. She had wanted to go sledding again, when they finally moved to Lima but her Dad's were always too busy to take her and she hadn't bonded with anyone she felt safe enough to ride down that hill with.

On that day, so long ago, she had wished she could ride with the honey haired girl. She had intended to ask her when she climbed back to the top of the hill, but Quinn was already gone.

Well, she would ask the honey haired girl today. She would get that ride on her sled.

Quinn would hold her tight and guide the sled so she could just enjoy the speed, and the wind, and the feeling of her girlfriends body tucked up close to hers.

_( Heartrace Hill)_

_**Quinn**_

Quinn glances up the hill as she's trudging through the thicker snow to avoid damaging the slick, winding, downhill course. She's dragging her sled behind her, huffing and puffing, exaggerating her efforts to gain a little sympathy for when she reaches her goal. At the top stands a tiny figure smiling so brightly that the snow and ice should be reduced to a watery wave. She's wearing a bright pink parka, with a beanie to match and her hair is braided in pigtails.

It hits her then. Like a giant hammer striking an anvil in a blacksmiths forge. The clear loud strike of steel pounding on steel, melding and shaping that red hot something, turning it over and over again, working furiously, speedily molding the metal before it loses it's heat. Smash and Clang. She hears those sounds in some abstract portion of her mind, sees the visions flash before her eyes, as one reality folds atop another and memory crashes in to ambush her. She's at the '_almost there_' location, with just a quarter of the climb left when she stops dead in her tracks; immobile, unable to take another step until she binds the memory of the old and new together.

_Seven years earlier_

_Heartrace Hill is a legendary Winter playground. From all walks of life, people from miles around make annual homage to the miniature mountain during the season of sledding. It's almost a religion amongst the die hard enthusiasts who love the challenge of the curvy steep slope. To spend an early morning, or afternoon, or even an evening in the dark with little light, except for the silvery gleams of moon beams to guide them down the winding, twisty turns._

_Heartrace Hill is the biggest hill in the region. The best place ever for downhill sledding, saucering, tobogganing, cardboard boxing, and lunch tray racing. No skis allowed! No snowboards allowed! Those are unspoken rules and any idiot who shows up at the site intending such blasphemy is quickly discouraged with fistfulls of snowy projectiles._

_Heartrace Hill is a natural playground located ten miles out of Lima in the middle of nowhere. A giant sloping, curving hill bereft of the trees that once dotted its face. To get to the top one must climb using their own two legs; there are no ski lifts to carry you up and drop you off. _

_It's all very civil and communal for those who understand the rules. You bring your own ride, one you can slide on by yourself or share with a friend. When you get to the top you wait in line until it's your turn to go. Over time it has been established that only four sleds spread across the top of the hill should depart at the same time. The lines are naturally formed and those who are waiting shout and cheer for those who's turn it is to fly. A wait of thirty seconds is observed before the next group plunges off the top. And so it goes, year after year, generation after generation of youth and adults playing outside in the snow, flying down the tiny mountain at breakneck speed._

_And so it was, seven years earlier that ten year olds Quinn, Brittany and Santana were at that very spot; the 'almost there' location, where everyone takes a break to rest and catch their breath, to glance up to the top to see that they have almost finished their climb. _

_And there she was._

_Standing at the top wearing a smile so big, and bright, and white as the blinding snow surrounding them. She wore a pink colored parka, mauve snowpants with mittens and a scarf to match. Her beanie was white with pink stripes and had a giant floppy tassel that was swaying to and fro. Sticking out from under the cap were two dark pigtails. She was nodding and smiling at them like an angel from heaven. _

_Quinn was very taken by the girl in the pink parka. There was something about her that filled Quinn up with light or hope and something like wonder. Something she didn't quite understand but she wanted it the moment she saw that girl. She felt something inexplicable, something so life altering she was almost exploding with excitement. That girl was looking her way; she was looking at Quinn. Or, Quinn had thought so at the time. Having been so caught up in her feelings about the girl on top of the hill she assumed the girl was feeling the same things as she._

_Big brown eyes were sparkling with delight while she waited for them to finish their climb. Except she wasn't waiting for them. She started to jump up and down and wave and scream._

_"Hurry, hurry, hurry, Daddy, Dad...you're going soooo slow...it's my turn and you're taking forever (Stomp)."_

_That was when Quinn noticed the two men passing her by, dragging a toboggan behind them, grinning and waving at her girl at the top of the hill. Her girl. Her angel in pink with big brown eyes._

_That moment shattered Quinn's heart in a way she would never understand. She wasn't aware she'd stopped breathing, or that Britt and San were pulling on her arm and shouting in her face. "C'mon Quinn, we're almost there..." Santana was pulling on her elbow. " Are you okay Quinn? You kinda look like you lost a puppy." Brittany was patting her back trying to jolt her out of her stupor._

_"Yeah. I'm okay lets go." Quinn bolted for the top of the hill then. For a reason she couldn't understand she wanted to get to the top before her brown eyed girl took off. She wanted... she wanted... she wanted the girl to ride with her on her sled, if she could only get there on time._

_But it was too late. Just as she scampered up that last little steep incline, her heart sunk as she watched that beautiful little girl, clinging to the front of the toboggan with all her might, squealing with delight, as she and her Daddy were pushed down the hill by the other man. _

_Sigh._

_"What is your problem Quinn?" Santana was gasping for breath behind her, while simultaneously thumping her on the shoulder with an irritated mitten covered fist._

_"I wanted her to ride with me." Quinn exhaled the words in defeat. She wanted to cry and had no idea why. Something inside her ached, it hurt in the strangest way because the pain was scrunching her chest and the pit of her stomach clenched. She felt tingly and excited and incredibly sad all at the same time. _

_"Who?" Santana asked, completely confused by her friends strange behavior._

_"Didn't you see San?" Brittany asked. "Quinn wants that girl in the pink parka. She's really pretty Quinn, like a fairy princess."_

_"I... what? I just wanted to know if she would ride on my sled with me... but now she's gone down the hill again and my dad said this next ride has to be my last ride. B..bb..by the time I get down she'll be halfway back up and I won't get a chance to ask her._

_"You don't even know her Quinn. Britt will ride down the hill with you...won't you Britt?" Santana offered, thinking that maybe it wasn't fair of her to hog Brittany all day leaving Quinn to ride alone._

_"But that's not the same..." Quinn's voice trailed off sadly._

_"It's okay Quinn...maybe she'll be back here next weekend and you can ask her to ride your sled then?" Brittany added helpfully, hoping it was true, that Quinn could find her girl in pink next weekend. It would only be fair, Brittany thought, because she already had San and wanted Quinn to have a San of her own._

_They had gone back to Heartrace Hill almost every weekend for the rest of that Winter in search of Quinn's, 'Girl in the Pink Parka'. Each taking turns in begging their parents to drive them but they never did see her again. Between themselves, Santana and Brittany started to call the hill, 'Hearbreak Hill,' because it was truly heartbreaking to watch Quinn search in vain for a girl she hadn't even spoken to. They watched their friend get excited every time she saw the color pink flashing toward them, only to be disappointed when it's wearer was not her girl._

And now, Quinn gasped out loud. Santana crashed into her friends back before realizing she had stopped. "Ouch Quinn, you big oaf. Let a girl know you're going to stop. I almost let go of my saucer and I don't want to chase it down the fucki..-"

"Oh My God...it's the 'Girl in the Pink Parka.' " Brittany whispered reverently.

"Holy Shit!" Santana exclaimed.

How had they not seen it before? Of course the 'Girl in the Pink Parka' was Rachel. She looked almost exactly the same. She hadn't even grown that much. But she didn't wear her hair in pigtails that often, and that had been years ago, when last they'd seen her looking thus while standing in that spot.

Quinn sat down in the snow on the side of the hill and started to cry. This was just too much. It was too wonderful and too sorrowful all at the same time for her. Rachel stood at the top with a worried expression upon her face. She'd smiled at Quinn and waved and then...

**To Be Continued.**

_Lyrics to "Hey Mickey" belong to Tony Basil. No copyright infringement intended._

_The next chapter will wrap up this little drama with Rachel and Quinn. Brittany's birthday party, the swim meet, Finn Hudson, and Sue Sylvester's conference with Rachel will all be dealt with. Thanks so much for continuing to read and review. I so appreciate the support from those of you who continue to share your thoughts and offer your advice. I hope you stick around to see what happens._ :)

_..._


	34. The Do Over

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

* * *

><p><em>They had gone back to Heartrace Hill almost every weekend for the rest of that Winter in search of Quinn's, 'Girl in the Pink Parka'. Each taking turns in begging their parents to drive them but they never did see her again. Between themselves, Santana and Brittany started to call the hill, 'Hearbreak Hill,' because it was truly heartbreaking to watch Quinn search in vain for a girl she hadn't even spoken to. They watched their friend get excited every time she saw the color pink flashing toward them, only to be disappointed when it's wearer was not her girl.<em>

_And now, Quinn gasped out loud. Santana crashed into her friends back before realizing she had stopped. "Ouch Quinn, you big oaf. Let a girl know you're going to stop. I almost let go of my saucer and I don't want to chase it down the fucki..-"_

_"Oh My God...it's the 'Girl in the Pink Parka.' " Brittany whispered reverently._

_"Holy Shit!" Santana exclaimed._

_How had they not seen it before? Of course the 'Girl in the Pink Parka' was Rachel. She looked almost exactly the same. She hadn't even grown that much. But she didn't wear her hair in pigtails that often, and that had been years ago, when last they'd seen her looking thus while standing in that spot. _

_Quinn sat down in the snow on the side of the hill and started to cry. This was just too much. It was too wonderful and too sorrowful all at the same time for her. Rachel stood at the top with a worried expression upon her face. She'd smiled at Quinn and waved and then... _

**Chapter XXXV, "The Do Over"**

"I don't think you have to struggle with your decision Rachel; from the look upon Quinn's face when she met your gaze just now, I'd say she just remembered. The crying in the snowbank is sort of a tell as well."

Kurt was standing just behind her when that little scene unfolded and damn if his spine wasn't crawling with tingles again. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently before turning her toward the path that led down the hill.

"Go to her Rachel." Kurt urged his friend, who was frozen in place in much the same way Quinn had been a moment earlier.

Rachel nodded absently, her eyes were glazed over and her features bore the slack look of someone in shock. Her body trembled from her toes up to her eyebrows; she shook herself to disperse the pent up tension, closed her eyes tightly to regain her focus, then fled down the steep path on a mission to comfort her girlfriend.

The two Cheerios sat on either side of Quinn watching her weep, one stroking her shoulder, the other patting her gently on the back. Words weren't spoken. Words were not needed. If any could know the meaning of what Quinn might be going through, what she might be feeling, these were the two who would understand.

Rachel traversed the steep path with reckless indifference, she plowed through the last few feet of snow and dropped on her knees in front of Quinn. Frosty, excited puffs of air were exhaled as she whispered out a single word.

"Quinn."

Santana and Brittany were blatantly gaping at Rachel, mouths hanging open as though they'd seen a ghost. In many ways it seemed exactly so.

After that long ago Winter, and the fruitless search for Quinn's 'Girl in the Pink Parka', none of the three had come back to Heartbreak Hill. The hurt filled place was never mentioned again; it was one of those things that was understood among people who care for one another. Brittany had likened it to 'pushing on a bruise.' "It's already a sore spot so why push on it to make it hurt more San? We'll just go skating and play hockey, that's just as much fun as sledding at Heartbreak Hill."

And now, here they all were, seven years later, trying to grasp the surreal circumstances that brought them to this place; the 'almost there' location.

Quinn had her head buried in her knees and was still quietly sobbing. Rachel inched closer yet, placing both of her hands on either side of her girlfriends head, she leaned in close and whispered again.

"Quinn sweetheart, please look at me baby."

Santana and Brittany eased away to allow their friends some space. They took a protective stance along the path several feet away, placing themselves on guard duty.

Sniffle.

"It was you...it was you all along..." Was muttered into white snowpant covered knees, which were heavily stained with teardrops.

Sniffle.

"I looked for you all Winter, Rachel, and could never find you..." Deep hazel green peeked out through tousled strands of honey blond hair. Those specks of gold and green were swirling with an emotion so deep and clear that Rachel thought her heart would explode.

"I...I...I wanted you to ride on my sled with me... I wanted...I wanted... "

Sniffle...Sniffle. More tears.

"I'm sorry baby. I'm so sorry I never got to ride on your sled with you. I wanted that too Quinn."

Sniffle.

Quinn sat up straighter, she tilted her head to gaze at Rachel curiously, like she didn't quite believe what she was hearing.

"Really?..."

Rachel smiled and leaned in to place a tender kiss on Quinn's forehead. She pulled off her mitt and gently captured a rolling tear with her finger.

"Yes, really Quinn. I wanted to ride with the honey haired girl. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, but when I rushed back to the top of the hill she was already gone. I was so sad Quinn and angry with myself for not waiting for you up top."

"Really?" Quinn asked again, feeling something inside her shift, like she could suddenly breathe a little better. She and Rachel needed to talk about this because she was having so many confusing feelings, but right here in the snowbank on the side of the hill, wasn't what she had in mind. What she wanted right now, more than anything in the world, was for the 'Girl in the Pink Parka,' to ride down the hill with her.

"Will you take me for a ride on your sled Quinn?"

"Will you ride with me on my sled Rachel?"

The questions were blurted simultaneously and both girls burst into laughter that echoed up and down the monstrous hill.

Quinn pulled Rachel into her arms, hugging her fiercely and something deep inside her snapped in two. It was old and brittle and useless and she didn't need it any more. She didn't need that ugly feeling of having lost, or missed; that dreadful yearning, nor that aching heavy emptiness which drug upon her soul.

Together they finished the climb from the 'almost there' location. Quinn continued to drag her sled while clinging to Rachel's hand with a grip so intense it made the little diva wince. Rachel didn't complain, however, she didn't want to let go either; they were getting a second chance at something that was profoundly wonderful.

The couple were staring at one another, swinging their hands between them, wearing shy smiles while waiting in line to take their ride. The rest of the gleeks arrived in stages, some of them had been climbing to the top behind Quinn while others had ridden down earlier and were taking a rest. They naturally regrouped because, now that they were all here at the same time, they wanted to ride down the hill together. The gleeks spread themselves across the hill each getting in the prospective lines.

Sam, Tina, Mike and Artie were sharing a long Toboggan. They left Artie's wheel chair parked by a little bush on a mat they brought for that very reason. He was sandwiched between his friends on each ride down and they all took turns dragging him back up the hill. The four lined up on the far side, next to them was Puck and Lauren with a _Turbo_ sled. Quinn and Rachel were preparing to ride on Quinn's Ultimate Flyer, while Brittany would fly with Santana on her saucer. Finn and Kurt would ride down in the next shift on Burt Hummel's ancient Hobo sled.

Out of the blue, Kurt bellowed out a word that quieted the whole hill.

**"Honeymoon!" **

'Honeymoon,' was a magic word on Heartrace Hill because it called for a solo ride. Solo rides were rarely 'allowed' and usually frowned upon, but every once in a while an event occurred by which a person, or persons, were deemed worthy of gaining the privilege. After someone invoked a 'Honeymoon,' the claimant had to justify the request with the necessary 'circumstance.'

"Reunited!" Kurt shouted out clearly while pointing at Quinn and Rachel who looked as though their friend had lost his mind.

There were four acceptable circumstances: 'Dumped,' which meant the solo rider had just been dumped by their significant other. 'Reunited,' implied that a couple finally got their shit together after a break-up. 'Borderline,' suggested an imminent meltdown, by which every other person sledding that day would be more than happy to let the crazy bastard ride alone. And lastly, 'Birthday,' was just sweet; why not give a birthday girl or boy a solo ride?

The rest of the gleeks were a little confused by Kurt's implication. "When did Rachel and Quinn break up?" was whispered quietly amongst themselves so no one else would hear. One could get in really big trouble for crying out a false 'Honeymoon' on Heartrace Hill.

"**Rachel and Quinn! Rachel and Quinn!**" Brittany began to cheer. The rest of the gleeks picked up her enthusiam and soon the whole hill was clapping for and urging the 'reunited' couple to take their solo ride.

Quinn pulled Rachel down onto the seat in front of her, tucked that tiny body between her legs, wrapped her arms around the petite waist and snuggled them tightly together. The sled was about five feet long, it was made of birch planks with custom willow rails for steering. You could lay down on your stomach and steer with your hands or sit upright and use your feet to steer; the wide skids were also birch and freshly waxed.

Rachel leaned back into Quinn's body with so much pleasure she thought she would burst. She nuzzled Quinn's neck with her nose and pressed a soft kiss onto her cheek.

"Are you ready sweetheart?" Quinn whispered. Big shiny tears were gleaming in her eyes but the smile she wore was filled with love and utter joy. To those who watched the whole moment was a big, "Awww."

"**Rachel and Quinn, Rachel and Quinn,**" was chanted by the entire population of the tiny mountain.

"Will you give us a shove San?" Quinn called out to her fiery friend, who nodded and grinned like a fool. Brittany was jumping up and down, swinging Santana's Saucer around like a victory shield; she looked like a Nordic Goddess with her furry boots, her bright blue eyes and her golden windswept hair.

Santana gripped the back of Quinn's shoulders, dug her boots into the snow and pushed with all her might; she ran while she pushed until they reached the steep incline. "**Rachel and Quinn!" **She shouted at their backs as the two girls whooped and screamed at the speed accumulated from Santana's powerful shove.

The ride down was the most exhilarating, yet peaceful experience Quinn had ever had. Holding Rachel close to her heart, while racing down the mountain was a rush. Focusing on the turns and keeping them near the center became so much easier when you didn't have to worry about bumping in to the other sleds that were usually flying beside you. She was on autopilot; most of her was reveling in the feel of having her girl so close, having _that_ girl she'd 'wanted,' (as Brittany once declared) tucked up close within her arms, screaming and laughing all the way down the hill.

The ride was fast and long and perfect and slow and everything that Rachel wanted it to be.

Quinn was holding her close just as she had imagined. She could feel the chilling wind racing over their faces, she felt Quinn tighten her grip when they fled around the turns. Her body flushed and her heart leapt with every breathy laugh exhaled near her ear.

When they got to the bottom Quinn steered her flyer off to the side and tumbled them into the snowbank. She pulled Rachel on top of her and gazed into the sparkling eyes of her beautiful brown eyed girl. Cheeks were flushed pink, teeth were flashing brightly and fluffy snowflakes danced in swirls around them as they gazed at one another adoringly. Several moments passed in silent wonder before Rachel slowly leaned forward to press her lips on Quinn's; they shared a kiss as sweet and chaste as two young girls might once have done.

It had taken seven years and was over in a heartbeat but would last an eternity in the hearts and minds of the Honey Haired Girl and the Girl in the Pink Parka.

**BRITTANY**

Brittany thought they were all going back to Rachel's for hot cocoa, but was stunned out of her furry boots when she walked through the door to be greeted with a loud **"SUPRISE."** All of her friends were singing happy birthday, they were wearing pointy colorful hats and there were balloons, streamers, squawking kazoo's and a sign that said: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTANY.

Rachel ran up and jumped into her arms, squeezing her tighter than ever before. The little diva grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the dining room where a giant cake was centered on the table; it was shaped like a Unicorn running in a field. Happy Birthday Brittany was scrawled across the grass in cursive script. She didn't know what to think or how to feel for what seemed like a really, really, really, long time, but only a second had passed. And in that second her heart figured out what her mind had not: the Void was balanced again. Rachel had done this for her. Rachel was standing right beside her at _her_ birthday party, just like she'd wished it had been. Tears were pouring down her cheeks in streams, her bright blue eyes were shining like stars and the world was spinning the way it was supposed to again.

" I got a 'do over,'" Brittany squealed with happiness at DeputyMinnieSparkle and her girlfriend Gillian Monroe.

"And Quinn and Rachel got a 'do over' too, and, and... I'm just so happy that you're here to celebrate with us DeputyMinnieSparkle. Hi CaptainMonroe," Brittany dazzled the red headed swat officer with her crystal blue eyes and heartwarming smile before continuing her interesting greeting. "I'm glad to see you again because it's such a happier time than it was last time."

After their day at Heartbreak Hill, but she didn't have to call it that anymore now that Quinn's heart was all in once piece again. Well, Quinn's heart was really good anyway since she'd been with Rachel these past few months. But that last little discovery about the, 'Girl in the Pink Parka' made Quinn even better. Everything was, like, tidied up and not messy anymore. Quinn didn't have to _not think_ about that Winter any more and how everything changed after that because everything just got better today...

"What's a 'do over' Brittany? and remember you can call me Minnie now, especially when we're all here as friends okay?"

Brtittany bobbed her head excitedly and proceeded to answer the DeputyMinn...um, Minnie's question.

"Oh...it's um, like, because of the _Void in the Balance _when Rachel missed my party last summer. She wanted to make everything _even_ so she gave me another party so I wouldn't feel so bad when we have her birthday party. Now it's all balanced out and the Void can't quiver and make my stomach turn somersaults."

"A 'do over' is a birthday party? And please Brittany, no formalities at your own birthday party, call me Gillian."

The red headed Captain posed the question with a little trepidation. After the first explanation, odds were things would get even more confusing, but the blond haired girl was very charming and Minnie had taken an interest in this group of teens who were, she had to admit, quite remarkable.

"Not exactly, Gil...Gillian." Brittany beamed at the Captain while pronouncing her first name. "This party is my 'do over' but the sled ride was Quinn and Rachel's 'do over.' "

"You see, they met a long time ago at Heartbreak Hill, but I don't have to call it that anymore because Quinn's heart is all better now... and, um, anyway when they met last time they both wanted each other but didn't know what that meant because they were just, like, you know... little kids. And they wanted to ride the hill together but never got a chance because Rachel told a lie with a tantrum. Anyway, Quinn's dad is a big _jerk_ that made her all _homofraid_ and they never met each other again until today."

"So... a sled ride is a 'do over'?" Minnie asked, more perplexed than ever but her lips twitched with the tiniest of smiles because she really did enjoy the this wonderfully strange girl.

"A '_do over_,' is an opportunity to right a wrong from the past."

Santana Lopez stepped into the conversation wearing the snarky grin she saved especially for DeputyMinnieSparkle. She wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist, stood up on her tip toes and planted a soft kiss on Brittany's mouth.

"Happy Birthday Britt, Te quiero mi angel dulce."

Minnie smiled warmly at the Latina while Gillian blushed a little at the open display of affection, yet found herself grinning openly at the beautiful couple. You couldn't not enjoy these girls who were so damned good at being themselves. Furthermore, she was greatly relieved by the translation Santana had just provided.

"I thought Quinn and Rachel have been together for a little while now?" Minnie asked, she also, thanks to Santana, understood the concept of a 'do over' but was struggling with what Brittany said about Rachel and Quinn just meeting.

"Oh yeah, they've been dating since September but they just reunited today."

"Did they break up?" Minnie's voice held traces of concern. She knew the couple was under a lot of strain from everything they had gone through with the 'Hanson incident,' but she hadn't heard from Peter that they were having these types of problems.

"No...why would they break up?" Brittany wondered.

Santana watched the interaction with an evil gleam in her eye. She truly enjoyed herself when Brittany held an audience captive, choosing to intervene if, and only if, the conversation became tedious for Brittany.

"But you just said they reunited?" Gillian countered.

"Uh huh."

"How could they reunite if they have been together this whole time?"

The Captain was narrowing her eyes at Brittany. Their conversation had turned decidedly absurd but the investigator in her couldn't just give up. There was a pattern here and eventually she would tie all of these wayward details together.

"Ohhhh...I seeeeeee." Brittany drawled out before continuing, "The Honey Haired Girl and the Girl in the Pink Parka reunited today, but Quinn and Rachel have been together all along."

"Who are the Honey Haired Girl and The Girl in the Pink Parka?" Minnie wanted to do a face palm but refused to give Santana the satisfaction.

"Quinn and Rachel of course, haven't you been listening DeputyMinnieSparkle?" Brittany asked a little concerned that a Deputy could be so dense. And with that said she turned to look at her girlfriend with a frown because something had just occurred to her.

"San?"

"What Britt, what's wrong beautiful girl?" Santana glared at Minnie, thinking that the Deputy had done something to upset Britt and was going to have words with her if she had.

"It isn't fair?" Brittany pouted.

"What's not fair?"

"Well...I got a do over, and Quinn and Rachel got a do over, but _you_ didn't get a do over. I can feel it San, I can feel the Void."

"Ay Dios Mio!"

Minnie Sparkle chuckled and Gillian snorted with amusement. Santana shot the snickering couple a death glare while grabbing Brittany's elbow to pull her out of earshot. The bizarre conversation was finally over but it didn't keep the amused police officers from eavesdropping.

"The only 'do over' I am going to need Britt is to thoroughly _do you _over and over again when we finally get some alone time. That will balance the Void Britt... I promise."

"Really?" Brittany smiled shyly and her cheeks were flushed red, she lowered her gaze and nibbled on her bottom lip.

"Really!" Santana declared, she shot a wicked smile over her shoulder and winked at the eavesdropping spys before dragging her girlfriend into the basement to dance with their friends.

"She should become a politician." Gillian observed.

"Which one?"

_..._

**Rachel and Quinn**

The party was a huge success. Brittany's Void was banished, hopefully forevermore, and Rachel and Quinn were left alone to confront their past. They had each decided, in that moment at Heartrace Hill, that they could leave the talking for later; opting to enjoy their day of discovery in the way it should have been enjoyed all those years before.

But, now, both of them had questions that needed to be answered. Rachel was grateful she had the foresight to hold the party on a Wednesday night because that was the one evening during the week by which Quinn was allowed to sleep over.

Sigh.

They wouldn't be getting very much sleep this evening she surmised. How would she explain to Quinn the why? of why she never told her. Why had Rachel kept that moment to herself for all this time?

They were both in their Winter pajamas. For Quinn, that meant a long sleeve Batman tee shirt and black flannel jammy pants. Rachel was wearing an outrageous giant pink onesie, fully loaded with sock attachments and fuzz. Thank God it didn't have floppy ears because she already looked like a reject from the Easter parade. The _thing_ actually had a zipper in the back and Rachel needed help to seal herself inside. Quinn didn't have the heart to tease her, so instead, she pulled up the metal tag encasing her girlfriend in a pink cocoon of fuzzy cotton warmth.

"Rachel." Quinn was waving her hand in front of her girlfriends face, trying to pull her out of the trance she seemed to be lost within.

"I didn't tell you I remembered because I didn't want you to be hurt." Rachel blurted out her thoughts because she couldn't contain them any longer. "I also didn't even think you remembered. My first day at McKinley, you...you were the first person to notice me and I recognized you immediately, but then..."

"You got a face full of Slushie." Quinn finished the sentence that Rachel was struggling to complete.

"My God Rachel this feels so fucked up on so many levels for me." Quinn was clenching her fists together and trying so hard not to just scream. What the fuck was going on inside? She was furious and devastated all at once, but her anger wasn't about what Rachel did or did not tell her.

They were sitting on the bed with their legs crossed, facing one another. Rachel was watching her intently with a furrowed brow and her bottom lip in full pout mode.

Quinn's father deserved her ire.

He could never let anything go - that controlling manipulative bastard. He caught a whiff of Quinn's obsession with going to Heartrace Hill and made a point to find out why. He put her mother up to questioning Brittany, which was the easiest way to get information about what the three girls were up to. Brittany was so sweet and innocent, she had no idea what she set in motion that day. Quinn sighed, took a deep breath and for the first time ever, she _wanted_ to talk with Rachel about her father.

"My mom noticed how moody I was every time we came back from sledding and finally she just asked me, 'Quinnie, if it makes you so unhappy to go sledding on that hill, and you don't have any fun, why do you keep going back?'"

"Brittany and Santana were hanging out because we'd just come back from searching high and low for _you_. I refused to answer her question so Brittany told her. 'It's because she wants the Girl in the Pink Parka and we haven't been able to find her.' My mother, of course, ran straight to my father with this statement and ever after I was inculcated with hateful homophobic doctrine."

"In other words, Rachel, I was brainwashed to hate gay people. Or, he attempted to wipe it out of my system, but a part of me would never let go of the feeling I had on the day I saw you on Heartrace Hill. Brittany was exactly right you know. I did _want _the 'Girl in the Pink Parka,' but at that age it was a yearning, a desire without any type of understanding to go with it. I missed the opportunity to meet you as a little girl. To have a friend like Britt and San had. To be okay with having that kind of close friendship and also be okay if it should one day transition in the way that Britt and San's friendship did."

"I was just stopped, Rachel,...stunted. I wasn't allowed to mature emotionally because I was told to _not_ _feel_; that my feelings were wrong and evil and I would rot in hell if I ever acknowledged that part of myself. So instead of being open and gentle and kind, I turned into the mean and bitter girl who grew into the biggest bitch that ever walked the halls of McKinley High."

"I didn't recognize you the day I threw that slushie in your face, Rachel, and even if I had recognized you...I..I would have still thrown it."

Quinn was visibly shaking. She was chewing on her lower lip and staring at her lap, unable to look Rachel in the eye with the last part of her statement. She cleared her throat and pushed at the stray strand of honey colored hair that was always slipping in her face before continuing.

During this whole time Rachel's heart was tearing in two. She wanted so bad to reach out to Quinn, to pull her into her arms and hold her close, but she could read her girlfriends body language. Quinn was furious and struggling to keep her anger from raging, from lashing out like she had so many times in the past. So, she listened with a heavy heart, and waited for Quinn to catch up with the here and now - a here and now that she was loved and cherished in.

"Having Beth is what really changed me. Being disowned by the people who claimed to love me made me re-evaluate everything they ever taught me. I let it all go then and started over. I decided to be my own teacher because the people who were given the job to guide me really fucked it up. San and Britt got me through and so did San's mom, and Britt's too..."

"Now you know Rachel...and so do I. It's an understatement to say that I was blind sided by that buried memory today. To have _that_ girl. That girl who symbolized so much for me at such a formative time in my life. To have her standing in that spot, smiling down at me...it was exactly the same. After all those weeks of searching for her, and then what my parents did to make me forget... and then...

God Rachel... to have it be you..."

That was all it took for Quinn to lose it. She couldn't finish her thought because she was sobbing so hard. She crawled into Rachel's lap and collapsed. Rachel encircled her body with her own, she wrapped her fuzzy pink arms and legs around Quinn, encompassing her with all the love and warmth she had to offer.

Some little time later.

They managed to crawl to the head of the bed; one big bundle of Batman and Bunny, sniffling and snorting and gasping for air. Eventually the sniffles morphed into whispers and kisses. Kisses that captured tears and healed hurts that couldn't be seen on the surface but were felt down deep.

The kisses led to soft caresses and gentle explorations, which were interrupted when the 'Girl in the Pink Onsie' got her zipper stuck and Batman couldn't undress her.

"Just yank on it!" Rachel complained. She already had Quinn's jammy pants off and was eager to ease Quinn's sorrow.

"I am yanking on it, it's fucking stuck." Quinn was straddling Rachel's fuzzy pink bottom, _yanking _and swearing at the frustrating hardware.

"Try sliding it back up again, then down." Rachel was wiggling under the pressure of Quinn's hot center pressed upon her backside. That position quickly heated her up inside the suffocating suit; what possessed her to put this atrocity on?

"How about I get the scissors and cut you out?" Quinn said jokingly, knowing that Rachel would have a fit at that suggestion.

"Okay."

"Okay? Did you just say okay?"

"Yes!...Hurry Batman, hurry, hurry, hurry..."

**To Be Continued.**

_Okay, so I wanted to end this here because I felt like this little side story needed to be completed at the end of a chapter. The next chapter will continue with the Play. I hope you stick around to see what happens._

_I can't remember the story I read that used the term "do over," or I would give it due credit. Thank you to that author for the wonderful notion. I hope you're not offended but I borrowed it for this chapter. If anyone out there knows or remembers, I would love to know so I can rec the fic. Thanks.  
><em>

_Thanks so much to all of you who continue to read and review._

_**Have a Happy and Safe Holiday! :) **_


	35. Tincture of Nettle

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This chapter is a little complicated, mostly because I have had such a long delay in updating. You may have to tweak your memory to catch up. There is a flashback that covers Rachel's meeting with Sue Sylvester after her debate team debacle. There are also several snippets that explain the events that lead up to the second part of Act III, Scene I: Rumors. The first part of this Scene was the basketball game. The second part of this Scene is the swim meet, which is played out at the end of this chapter. I think I warned you before, but things are going to get a little dramatic again in the next few chapters. There will still be humor and romance, but things are going to get a little harried for Rachel, Quinn, Britt, San and the rest of the Cast. A build up of suspense to top off the final Scenes of Rachel's Play._

_Also, on a side note. I introduced a character named, 'Nate Minetti,' in a former chapter. In the following chapter I accidently called him Nick Minetti. I am going on record, right now, to say his name is really Nate. You will come to hate him so it's important that I clear this up. _

**Chapter XXXVI: Tincture of Nettle**

**Jacobs Blog**

_(Friday morning, two days after Brittany's party and one day before the swim meet.)_

**The Survey Says: 99.9 % of students asked have never gone to a swim meet. **

**The Survey Says: 99.9 % of the students asked _will_ be attending Saturday's swim meet.**

Why? You say. Why? Why? Why?

I'll tell you why.

**TWO WORDS: Itchy, Rashy, Hives.**

Oops, that was three words.

**And, also, two more words: Nate Minetti, two hundred meter free style, spear gun lasso.**

Oops, that was ten words.

The meaning of a _free style_ swimming event will be changed forever on Saturday if the rumors are true. One can only guess how difficult it could be to swim fast, much less stay in your designated lane, if you are itchy from head to toe - all the while fighting the forces of an underwater Tricky Trickster with a spear gun in his hand.

That would be a story to tell one's grandchildren.

***The Survey Says: 67 % of students polled don't think it will be fair, to the opposing teams, if the Skunker treats the water with the "itchy stuff." **

**15 % think it will be hilarious.**

**12 % want to know if there will be a concession stand, and will they be selling popcorn?**

**And, last but not least, 6% are hoping for a light show, including musical fountains.**

*On a more positive note. That same 67% of the students polled think it would be grand if the PrankMaster put the itchy stuff in the McKinley swim teams Speedos, instead of the water.

Coach Sylvester could not be located to make a comment, but one of my trusted sources heard her yelling at Mrs. Bellpher; our overworked and under appreciated secretary. Apparently, the phones have been ringing off the hook with curious inquiries.

**"Unknot your twisty knickers Woman! The next time someone asks about the damn swim meet, you tell them that _Spear Guns_ are illegal in the State of Ohio!"**

That's it for the _Hot Spot_ at Mckinley today.

_ACE Reporter,_

_Jacob Ben Israel._

**Nate Minetti**

_(Friday after school, before swim practice)_

The tall slender young man, wearing only a skimpy red Speedo and armed with his _special_ bottle of lotion, was taking a moment to prepare himself for swim practice. He'd tucked himself away in the last stall of the mens locker room to give himself a helping hand. The stress of not knowing what was going to happen at the swim meet was really getting to him.

Nate suspected that the '_Skanky Skunker_' (Azimo's nickname for the Prankster) had heard those nasty rumors about him. Why else would Nate be the target of this latest prank? Jewfro's Blog this morning had only helped to amp up the level of his fears. Yep. That fucking PrankMaster was going to, somehow, sink him in the pool during his 200 meter. Fuckicty fuck, fuck, Fuck!

Nate was gonna kill RuPaul if he could ever get his hands on her. It was all her fault. Not only had that bitch spread all those rumors about him, but that little _freak show _had the nerve to pull that stunt during the debate with that fucking video.

So what if the rumors about him were true? Big deal. He didn't care. No one could touch him. Every girl he '_did it'_ to, was seen kissing him before he pulled them away for some privacy. It was easy, just put a little GHB into their drink, not too much, because unlike most of the guys who used the drug, he didn't want the girls passing out before he had his fun.

Jenna would cover for him anyway, she had every other time some girl got a little upset. His girlfriend was relentless when she felt wronged. That Regina Hughes chick made the mistake of telling Brittany Pierce at Puckerman's party. Telling the biggest bimbo in the school was about the dumbest thing Regina could have done. Brittany went straight to Jenna and told her what Nate had done, thinking she was doing Jenna a favor, and at the same time, gaining some support for Regina.

Snort! As if? Duh!

Jenna spread a rumor that Regina let the whole swim team gang bang her in the boys locker room. Regina Hughes was now known as the biggest skanky slut that ever attended McKinley; she ended up transferring schools the following week.

Snort! Giggle.

People said stuff about him, they thought he was a _player_ at most, but no one had ever caught him. And, until that Hughes chick, no one had ever accused him. The girls liked it anyway, else they wouldn't have kissed him. Any girl who kisses a guy is giving him the green light.

Besides, he was the best swimmer in the district. He hadn't lost a single race in two years. Who was going to believe anything some trampy nobody claimed? Nate was always careful to make his conquests at parties. With the alcohol flowing and the loud music and the dancing, it was easy to pluck some lonely little wallflower, then put her out of her misery. He would offer her a drink, flirt for a few minutes, kiss her in front of _everyone_, and then ease her down a hallway to an empty room. It only took him a few minutes to get off, and before anyone noticed his absence, he was back in Jenna's arms with no one the wiser. Lots of guys did it, or most of them wanted to, but none of them had Nate's charisma and charm.

The only time he had ever been shot down was with that Berry freak. What a crazy bitch. She'd been dating Hudson at the time, but that moron was neglecting her for a game of beer pong. Nate thought he'd make Rachel Berry's night. He'd sauntered up to the little diva, offered her a rum and coke while flashing a winning smile, before proceeding to chat the girl up. Well, he tried to, but never got past his initial pick-up line.

_"Hey Berry, I brought you a rum and coke because Hudson seems to have forgotten that you're even here. Jenna's busy with her friends, so...ah... I'm all alone too, and I thought you might want a little company."_

_The response he was given was nothing like he ever expected._

_"I'm well aware of your reputation Nate Minetti. Although it is impressive that you maintain above average grades, are an accomplished athlete, and quite popular within a certain circle of the McKinley community; it is a well know fact that you prey upon unpopular shy girls._

_My Uncle Ricky Berry is the local Sherriff and knows all about your sexual assaults Nate Minetti. Unfortunately, his hands are tied without hard evidence, nor can any of the girls be convinced to file a complaint because everyone knows your mode of operation. You make certain you're observed in a public make-out session before you lead them off and rape them. It's all consensual according to you. Blah, blah, blah...blech, you are disgusting!"_

_Nick could only gape at the girl as she continued her rant. He didn't want to walk away from her for fear she would start to shout and everyone would hear her horrible accusations._

_"Well, I have a suggestion for you Nate Minetti. I suggest you walk away. Walk away right now, before I lose my self-control, and ram my knee so far into your scrotum you'll be speaking in a squeaky falsetto for the rest of the semester. I promise I will follow through. I've taken Karate lessons since I was seven years old and have recently achieved my black belt. Please, ask me again, Nate! Ask me if I would like to spend another second of my time basking in the glory of your craven presence?"_

Nate shuddered with the memory of that tiny girl threatening his manhood. He could barely admit it to himself, but he had been terrified of the little singer and fully believed she would follow through on her threat. He made a point to stay away from her after that. Her little speech had also spoiled his weekend conquests. Every time he considered approaching a girl at a party, Rachel Berrry's awful threats would re-wind through his mind,_ 'it is a well known fact that you prey upon unpopular shy girls,'...'everyone knows your mode of operation,'...'my Uncle Ricky Berry is the local Sheriff'..._

It was just too risky for Nate to continue with his previous behavior. He ended up being very frustrated and angry; the result being his lashing out viciously at school. Nate took great pleasure in harassing the very same type of girls he had violated at parties. He always had a pack of boys with him when he cornered some poor girl on her way to class or coming out of the locker room. He would grope and fondle her in inappropriate places, always with an audience of his teammates to back him up and shield him.

Whatever, Nate thought to himself. He was going to make ManHands pay one way or another. He had resigned himself to leave her alone when she threatened him with her Uncle, but after what she did during the debate, with that rotten little film she'd shown to the whole school; he was going to get that bitch. She had Puckerman, Fabray, Pierce and Lopez shadowing her at school, so it would be nuts for him to just shove her against a locker like he did with the other girls, but he would find a way to punish that big mouthed little diva.

Jenna would help him like she always did. Jenna had the loyalty of the girls swim team and was really creatively vindictive. All Nate had to do was plant the seed that Rachel Berry was hot for his abs and Jenna woud flip a nut.

Nate snickered with this last thought, he grunted loudly while speeding up the motion of his hand. His pre-practice ritual had taken longer than usual and he needed to hop in the pool to burn off the rest of his frustration.

One last tug... and, "ohhh, ...aaaahhh... Berrryyyyy..."

**Operation Swim Meet_ (2:00 a.m. Saturday)_**

Puck was in charge of the joy stick which controlled their underwater Sub. He had challenged Rachel for the right rather bluntly.

"You know I love you babe but you've got some serious micro control issues, or whatever... you need to learn to delegate. You know what I mean Rach, like...SHARE! You think you gotta handle every detail yourself, see, but it doesn't have to be that way."

Rachel took a big breath and exhaled just as deeply before responding to Puck's accusation. They were, all of them including Mike, who had finally approached Rachel after the basketball game to ask her if she wanted any help on Saturday. Anyway, they were all preparing to make a trip to the school in Peter's borrowed van. The time was 2:00 a.m. and each of them was wearing their _Special Ops_ costumes: black, black, and more black.

Kurt and Mercedes were humming the theme song to 'Mission Impossible,' Tina was smearing black eye goop under Mike's eyes, and Sam was seated between Quinn and Santana on the large bench seat in the back of the spacious van. Sam was wearing the goofiest smile upon his face; Rachel had never seen the boy look so happy, which caused her to grin goofily too.

Puck was riding shotgun next to Brittany who was driving. Rachel never formally announced this arrangement to the group but everybody seemed to know that Brittany, not Quinn, was Rachel's right hand woman in all of their Ops. Not because Quinn wasn't capable, nor Santana, nor Puck for that matter, but Brittany was just _more_ capable. She was _way_ more together emotionally than the other three and Rachel could rely on Brittany to think clearly if things started to go awry. The others tended to get angry, or act impulsively, but Brittany always managed to stay calm.

Rachel was seated next to Kurt and Mercedes while trying to think of a comeback to Puck's accusation. She did too know how to share! Didn't she? Well, she had to admit that she only trusted herself for many of the more detailed or risky aspects of some of their Scenes. Hmm? Maybe Puck was right, maybe she could allot them all a bit more responsibility.

"Alright Puck, after we get the Sub in place tonight, we'll go upstairs and practice with it in my office (third floor janitor's closet). If I see that you have mastered the actual test run, then I will let you operate it during the swim meet. I, for one, would like to be in the stands watching the event without having to worry about all the little details."

"_Yes!_" Puck exclaimed and reached back to offer his jewbrow his fist to bump.

Rachel's face lit up with excitement, she didn't get the offer to do cool handshakes or fist bumps very often. With that in mind, she wiggled on her seat next to Kurt and Mercedes before scrunching up her fist and, perhaps with a little more force than was necessary, she swung at Puck's hand like she was going in for a knock out. Of course she missed completely, accomplishing a full 360˚spin before tumbling onto the floor. Every occupant in the van erupted into snorts and giggles.

Poor Rachel, that bottom lip protruded until Kurt helped her up and encouraged her to try again. It was then that Rachel realized that her friends were laughing because it was funny. They were not laughing _at_ her, but simply enjoying the humor of the moment. She had come a long way from being the girl with no friends, whom everyone laughed at while pointing their fingers.

_**Third floor Janitor's Closet (Rachel's Office), 3:00 a.m. Saturday**_

"He has a well known habit of, well,...er...um..."

"Beating his meat before every practice!" Puck finished Rachel's sentence for her, although the words he used were not the words that Rachel was searching for, they served to get her point across.

"Ahem..." Rachel cleared her throat, the blush that heated her face wasn't helping with the squirmy feeling she had over this whole Operation. However, of all the bullies in the school, Nate Minetti was the absolute worst. He was even worse than Stephanie Hanson by Rachel's standards. Stephanie was insane. Clinically insane, so that, in Rachel's mind, put her just a peg below the scum that Nate Minetti was. He was intelligent, attractive, talented, and took sadistic pleasure in preying upon and sexually abusing girls. Nate had been very clever, early on, not to get himself caught assaulting girls at parties. Recently, however, he had become reckless at school and was escalating his sexual aggression, being so bold as to accost girls in the hallway on their way to class.

"Yes Noah, Nate likes to masturbate before every practice, but it is also well known that he and Jenna occupy the linen closet in the laundry room before every swim meet. Apparently, the two of them are very proud of their use of accessories and purchased some of those creams that, when combined during intercourse, have a very combustible effect upon climax.

Well, (insert maniacal giggling) I've taken the opportunity to treat their _special_ _lube_ with a little _Tincture of Nettle_."

"You didn't!" Puck's eyes were popping out of his head; the grin he was wearing could scare a pack of hyenas.

"I did." Rachel bobbed her head proudly. "They leave it in their lockers with their swim gear. I just finished that task before coming here to see how you were doing with the Sub. The others are under Brittany's direction; either on watch, or cleaning up any traces of us being here... how is it going Noah?"

The poor boy was still trying to catch up with what exactly 'Tincture of Nettle' was? He was almost positive it had something to do with, 'itchy' and, 'rashy' as Jewfro had so avidly described in his blog.

"Great, Rach," Noah pointed at the image on Rachel's lap top and twisted the joy stick back and forth. The little Submersible was zigging and zagging around the pool with every careless gesture Puck was making. "But what's it gonna do? You know, the _Tinct Sure_?"

"Oh..." Rachel paused for a moment, still mesmerized by the manoeverablity of Peter's high tech toy, but she was also thinking of the best way to describe the effects of her homemade lotion.

"I imagine Nick will feel as though his balls and dick have erupted into flames, and Jenna will feel as though someone has taken a blow torch to her twat." Rachel hated using such crude language but decided Noah would get a better mental image if she used the descriptive language he was familiar with.

"Eventually, a rash will occur, and blisters, and of course they will both be very itchy. They will have a very difficult time keeping their hands out of their own pants, or swim suits rather, during the meet."

"And, I'm not entirely certain," Rachel winked at Puck, who was staring with unblinking eyes, listening with rapt attention to every detail. "But, there will probably be an enormous amount of wiggling, squirming, and perhaps, if we're lucky, between the two of them we might get to witness the invention of some new dance moves."

Oh. My. God!

**Sue Sylvester, Rachel (flashback to Rachel's conference with Sue following the debate).**

"Alright, Streisand, do you want to explain your illegal use of video during the practice debate? I'm immensely relieved you had enough sense to blur the faces of both the victims and the perpetrators or else I would be required to seize this video and turn it over to the Police Department. However, I suspect you will have already 'accidently' erased it from your hard drive."

Rachel bobbed her head in agreement. That was exactly what she instructed Noah and Brittany to do once the vid was finished playing.

"I was more interested in proving my point than following the rules of the debate. Artie wasn't going to let me compete in the Carmel debate anyway. He seems to think I lack self-control and is unwilling to risk me storming out of the venue in a fit of pique."

"I hate to say this, because it goes against my religion to harbor neutral thoughts towards any of William's woeful wosers, but I am _not_ completely unimpressed by your moxie munchkin!

Are you aware I was recently subpoenaed for a deposition in a criminal case involving Stephanie Hanson? The details were not revealed to me, I was simply contacted by her lawyer and given the date of the deposition. I do, however, have friends in high places and was given some very disturbing details regarding Hanson's arrest."

Sue arched her eyebrow at Rachel and received a subtle head nod, indicating that, yes, what Sue had heard, was most likely true.

"In two weeks time this school is going to be making headlines once the details of Hanson's attack on you are released. This school is going to be investigated, and, as much as the Board of Directors has tried to keep a lid on all the CraZy that's occurred this year, it's all about to be blown to the moon.

Do you understand me midget?"

Rachel nodded, her mind racing with the information Coach Sylvester was conveying to her.

"Now, I know you and your little gleeks are friends with that Practical Joker." Sue continued. She was pacing around her office in the Cheerio's locker room, running her finger along the shelves, testing to see that Becky had cleared the dust.

"You may not know who the PrankMaster is, but I know you've all gotten emails and instructions from him. I want to be absolutely, a hundred percent certain, that the Skunker knows he needs to cross his T's and dot his I's; even more meticulously than he already has.

I know this may seem like a big shock to you, but I don't want this Tricky Trickster caught. Not by the Police anyway. I want to catch him myself. On my terms, with my very own _patented_ form of tortu...ah...chastisement.

So, however it is you relay your messages to this, Mastermind of Mayhem, you let him know that he mustn't get sloppy while we have the police snooping through lockers and closets and offices."

Sue paused for a moment before making her next declaration.

"The gadgetry must go!"

She walked over to the little stuffed Bulldog on the shelf, the only item in her office that was covered in dust. The tattered, sad looking little bulldog had a great view of Sue's desk. Rachel winced as she watched Sue grab it by the ears, march over to where she was sitting and dump it in her lap.

"If I can find it, _they_ will find it! And, _they_ won't stop once they discover they are dealing with a professional.

Hanson's lawyer will take any evidence they find, any evidence that proves we have a vindictive, vigilante prankster at McKinley High School, and make it a ploy for sympathy in Stephanie's defense."

Sue paused again, nearly finished with her rant, to pin the little diva with a penetrating glare.

"And that, Ms. Rachel Berry..."

Rachel was stunned as she peered into the steely blue gaze of the Cheerio Coach. This was the first time, ever, that Sue Sylvester addressed her by her given name.

"...is something neither of us want."

"Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

Rachel replied as she gathered up her stuffed companion. Stuffed with the serveillance camera she had planted in the Sue Sylvesters office months ago. She wandered toward the door in a shocked zombie like daze. But, just before exiting the room, Rachel turned back to the irascible Coach with one final comment. Rachel loved getting a second last word in every bit as much as Sue Sylvester.

"Coach Sylvester?"

"Streisand?"

The tiny diva blinked her overly long lashes, once, twice, thrice...before unleashing the power of her super duper doe eyed gaze. She flashed her billion watt, blindingly white smile at the suddenly stupefied Interim Principal.

"Thank you!" Rachel whispered, then sauntered out of the office with a hop in her step.

**The Swim Meet: McKinley High versus Jefferson High and Carmel High.**

"It'll take about ten minutes for the effects of the '_Tincture_' to have the chain reaction upon their skin cells. It was mixed in with their lube so they probably haven't started to feel the discomfort as anything but post coital soreness at this point. Don't fret Noah, in another moment or so we will be witnessing some fancy dance moves, I assure you."

Rachel was whispering into Puck's ear. She didn't want the other spectators at the meet to overhear her explanation. She also neglected to inform the rest of her _Cast_ of her little side trip to Nate and Jenna's lockers last evening. She wanted to save that particular part of the Scene as a surprise, so everyone would act _naturally_ when the two swimmers started to show symptoms of discomf...-

"_Nate!_" was _shout whispered_ across the pool deck. Jenna Doran was waving frantically at her boyfriend to, 'come here.' The boy was stretching with his teammates and the expression on his face was rather grumpy looking. His brows were crunched together and it looked as though he was desperately trying not to poop his pants. He nodded at his girlfriend, wrapped a towel around his waist and sort of hobble walked across the deck to meet her half way.

"See Noah, it's starting to happen." Rachel grinned at her friend, and jerked head in the direction of the couple on the deck.

Jenna was whispering angrily and pointing at her crotch, while Nate nodded in agreement, crossed his legs awkwardly and squirmed around while trying to stand in place. He grunted a frustrated, "I don't know Jenna, but mine hurts too."

His attempt at being subtle failed miserably.

".**..mine hurts too...**" Echoed around the facility drawing the attention of the crowd and all the other swimmers to the couple.

Jenna grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to the benches the McKinley boys and girls swim teams were sharing; she proceeded to _whisper shout_ at her boyfriend. During this discussion their faces turned as red as their swim suits. Nate still had the towel wrapped around his waist, but he also had his right hand shoved down the front of his suit; he was frantically adjusting and re-adjusting his private bits. Jenna was squeezing her legs together tightly and wiggling on the bench.

"Ohhh, Hell to the No!" Mercedes Jones exclaimed while pointing with a trembling finger.

"That pervert Nate is playing with his junk, and Jenna looks like** she's going to come in her pants just watching him... those two are freakin' kinky. Somebody blow a whistle or somethin' and get 'em to stop...my eyes, my eyes... ack!" **

Mercedes covered her eyes with the last part of her statement; she was completely unaware, that by the time she was finished speaking, her volume had increased so she was actually screaming out her final sentiments.

Every person attending, and/or participating in the Saturday swim meet at McKinley High had stopped to stare, slack jawed, at Nate Minetti and Jenna Doran.

**TWEET!**

A whistle blew and Coach Donnely, the McKinley coach, sped across the deck to _talk_ to his two swim team captains.

Lots of arm waving could be seen, and muttered whines and grunts, lots of squirming and worming was being done, and bits and pieces of some of the words floated out into the bleachers above the pools deck.

"It re_ _ly itches." "It bu_ _ s like a mother_ _ _ker."

"Watch your language Nate and get your hands out of your pants! Jenna stop wiggling around so much. What did you two do in the locker room before you came out here?" Mr. Donnely didn't bother to lower his tone so everybody heard his question.

"Snicker!" "The Nasty." "Bumped Uglies." "They always _do it_ before a meet, it's their good luck." "Gross!" "Wha'd they catch?" "Don't look so lucky to me!" "Ewww!"

"Shssh...that is very disrespectful." Miss Pillsbury sounded very distressed while she attempted to scold the heckling students scattered among the crowd. She could do nothing about the gallery full of gigglers, guffawers, and snorters on every tier of the bleachers.

**TWEET!**

The announcer for todays meet was completely unaware of the distress among McKinley's bench. The second whistle indicated that the prelims were about to begin.

"The 200 Medly Relay will begin in 2 minutes. Swimmers get prepared to take your marks."

Coach Donnely was rather quick on his feet, to Rachel's dismay. Instead of shouting at his star performers he yelled at his trainer to get the first aid kit. He pulled out a fairly large pink bottle and directed the two to go in the locker room and douse themselves wherever it itched. He whispered something extra in Jenna's ear, she turned an even deeper shade of red if that was possible, but nodded reluctantly in agreement with his instructions. Rachel assumed he was telling her _not _to put the Calamine lotion inside her vagina. _ Poor_ Jenna, she was just going to have to continue squirming. The Calamine lotion would only be a temporary relief until it washed off while the swimmers were competing.

This Scene of the Play was particularly cruel in comparison to some of the others. But these two were utterly remorseless and vile to the girls they had victimized together. Rachel shuddered with the thought of what Nate had been allowed to get away with. She was equally repulsed that Jenna willingly covered for him, and viciously disparaged the girls after Nate had violated them.

Even still, Rachel had taken proper precautions to assure there would be no lasting effects on either swimmer. Yes, they would get a rash, and yes, they would itch and burn, and have some blisters in places they never dreamed of, but Rachel was still very careful about the dose they were given. Neither of them would gain scars or need medical treatment. The only lasting damage would be to their declining reputations.

Nate and Jenna both managed to get through their preliminary races and make it into the finals. They were still wiggling and waggling about. Their swimsuits were stained with large patches of splotchy pink smudges; each time they got out of the water they hurriedly applied another coat of Calamine lotion to their nether regions.

Jenna had to treat her breasts as well, and both she and Nate slathered thick layers upon their lips, which left the fans in the bleachers with all sorts of unspeakable images in their minds about what those two nasty teenagers had gotten up to before the swim meet.

To say the swim fans were muted would be an understatement, traumatized better described the vacant, wide eyed stares and not so subtle head shaking. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth; no, no, no, the parents of some of the swimmers were vehemently swaying their heads in silent denial.

Well, not everyone was sitting in silence, trying to eradicate the unwanted visuals. The glee club was in a constant state of 'squee.' Rachel kept shushing them because she thought they were being overly _gleeful_ in this early stage of the Scene. Noah had already dismissed himself and dragged Sam along with him to complete the next task, which would be accomplished from her third floor office (janitor's closet).

**Mr. Wiggly**

The Sub was about eighteen inches in length, three inches in diameter and tubular shaped. It moved through the water in much the same way as a water snake; undulating from side to side, but it could also slither up and down and take a diagonal trajectory if need be. It was designed to run beneath the surface of the water, controlled by remote and driven with a joystick.

The exterior was covered with a chameleon like protective skin, which absorbed the surrounding lights and colors, refracting and reflecting them away from the source. In other words, the Sub was invisible within the water. Puck could see it very clearly on the computer because the program tracked it's position in the pool and displayed Mr. Wiggly (Rachel named it of course) with a virtual outline. The cameras they installed the night before were also covered in chameleon skin; they were placed along the sides and in each corner, giving Puck a total view of the entire pool.

It was time for the 200 meter freestyle final.

"Alright Mr. Wiggly, lets see what you got." Puck, seated on an overturned bucket, was talking to Rachel's lap top while Sam watched with longing and envy.

"Dude, I brought the extra joy stick. Pleeease let me help when they get to the final medly?" Sam begged and whined, seated next to Puck on a bucket of his own. Mike had also found his way into Rachel's office (third floor janitor's closet) and was standing behind his two friends, folding his arms and whistling in wonder at Rachel's collection of state of the art gadgets.

"We'll all take a turn, Beiber, but I gotta go solo on Minetti. Rachel will coat my balls with that itchy shit if I don't follow her directions to the letter. She wants Minetti toyed with for a bit before we sink him."

Mike and Sam shared a fist bump, celebrating Puck's declaration that he was willing to share the _joy_ during the medley.

_(Did I forget to mention that Mr. Wiggly is equipped with a pointy little nose? I think I did. When activated, his pointy little nose is capable of delivering an electric shock; very much like a cattle prod, but at a much lower voltage.)_

The horn sounded to start the race and the swimmers were off. Just three schools were competing in this meet so there were only six finalists in the race. Nate was in the middle lane and had a good lead on the rest of the pack. Just as he was about to make his first flip turn he felt something bump is ankle.

His heart lurched in his chest, and he fumbled at the wall, but he managed not to scream out loud. Frantically finishing his turn, he glanced about, searching for the invisible Tricky Trickster. Nate's lead was cut in half by his moment of hesitation and his concentration was suddenly focused on kicking his feet a little wildly. If that _Skunker_ was below him with his lasso gun, then he was damned well going to make it near impossible to snag his leg.

"What's wrong with Minetti?" One of the fans griped out loud. "My five year old could make a better turn, he's lost half of his lead!"

"Snicker!" "Giggle." "Snort!"

"Shush!" (stomp)

Nate was on his third length; he had felt the '_thingy_' three more times during the course of his race. Each time he was _bumped_ on a different part of his body. The last time it happened it felt like something bit him - his knee was still tingling from the strange effect. His lead was completely diminished and he was struggling just to stay tied with the guy from Carmel. _Fuck this_, Nate thought, as he made his final turn without a mishap. _I'm going to turn it on now, and blow this race away._ _I've had enough of this shit._ _ Bring it on you 'Skanky Skunker,' _the boy chanted in his mind as adrenalin rushed his system with the anger he was feeling. He surged forward and quickly passed the Carmel boy who had taken the lead.

_Yes! _Nate cheered himself on, he had only half a length left before he claimed the win. _Yes!_

"Push F12 on the keyboard blondie, and hold it down. Don't let go for nothing."

Sam followed Puck's instructions, holding the key down, staring at it intensely with keen interest.

"What's it do?"

"It's charging Mr. Wiggly's nose. Ahh... here we go, the final stretch and..." Puck tilted his head and twisted his body, unconsciously mimicking the motions he was directing Mr. Wiggly to perform.

"...and...Blam!...Bang! Pow!, Blam!, blam!, blam!"

"Oooh. Ahhh." (from Mike) "Take that sucker." (from Sam)

"Eeeeeeeee...aaaaaahhh... ooooooooooh...aaaaaack."

Nate Minetti was pitching a fit in the center of the pool; he was screaming like a madman, punching at the water, flailing about as though the shark from 'Jaws' was ripping his legs off.

The boy from Carmel won the race, the other swimmers fell in directly behind and still, Nate Minnetti was having a meltdown.

**"There's something in the water!"** He screeched and pointed below and around as he continued to splash and kick and whine. His balls were on fire again. Whatever the _thing_ was; it bit him in the dick. A bunch of times!

"Get out of the pool Nate, _Now!_" Mr. Donnely shouted at the young man and encouraged him to finish his swim, waving his hand in a manner that was gentle and inviting. "Come now, Nate, the race is over, it's time to get out of the water." His tone was gentle as he urged the boy to crawl his way back to the finish.

Nate was frantically kicking and spinning, and dipping his head underneath to see if he could _see _what the fuck had attacked him. Finally, he reached the safety of the pool deck and was escorted to the McKinley benches.

After a thorough search of the pool, it was determined that Nate Minetti had lost his mind.

"There's nothing in that pool Nate." Coach Donnely spoke quietly and assuredly to the boy. "You are probably experiencing additional pain from _whatever_ it was you got your penis into before our meet today. Maybe next time you will take the day of a meet more seriously." The last part of his statement was delivered with and icy glare and a disappointing shake of his head.

The final event of the day was a mixed medly. Each high school combined their two best boys and two best girls for a 200 meter medly relay. Each length of the pool was completed with a different stroke: Backstroke, Breastroke, Butterfly and they finished up with the Freestyle.

Jenna and Nate were both on the Medly relay. Coach Donnely didn't want to put them in the final race because they had embarrassed the team tremendously. He did, however, want to win. Those were his two best swimmers and he knew they would lose without them competing. _What the hell_, the Coach thought. _Nate needs to get back in the water, if only to find out it isn't filled with invisible boogie men._

"Okay boys, it's time for the finale." Puck relinquished his bucket seat, motioning for Mike to take his place. "Take turns with Mr. Wiggly and give him free range. Bump him into anyone you want to. Stay away from their private parts, except for Minetti and Doran. Those two you can have your way with. We will only use the charge on the perverts. Got it boys?"

Sam and Mike were grinning like fools and bobbing there heads with excitement.

The horn sounded and the swimmers were off, charging down their lanes on their backs.

Oh Boy!

Puck pushed the F4 key on Rachel's computer and started to chuckle.

"What's that do?" Sam asked curiously while Mike was aiming Mr. Wiggly at Brian Grant. That kid was Nate Minetti's number one follower and deserved a good goose on his ass.

"It starts the music!" Puck explained, while turning up the volume on Rachel's lap top.

"Dun,dun...dun,dun...dun, dun... do,do,dooooo," "Dun,dun...dun,dun...dun, dun... do,do,dooooo,"

The music from 'Jaws' was suddenly playing through all four speakers in the large pool facility.

More than half the crowd started to clap and cheer. The swim meet had already met, and eclipsed their hopeful expectations, but this would be the icing on the cake.

Two lengths later, after some squeals and yelps, but not any noticeable break in the swimmers performance, all hell broke loose.

"Dun,dun...dun,dun...dun, dun... do,do,dooooo," "Dun,dun...dun,dun...dun, dun... do,do,dooooo,"

Just as Jenna Doran was tagging Nate Minetti's hand for the final length of the race, Jenna squealed like bloody murder.

"Eeeeeeeeek."

Nate was already mid-dive before he processed Jenna's scream.

Mike and Sam decided to take it up a notch. They sent Mr. Wiggly on a wild chase, forcing him to grope every swimmer in the pool. They forgot the part about _not_ 'zapping' anyone but Nate and Jenna.

"Eeeeeeeeek." "Acccccccck." "Heellllp." "Owwwwww." "Arggggh."

**"There's something in the water!"**

...Peals of laughter...

**To Be continued.**

_Sorry about the lack of Rachel and Quinn time in this chapter. The next chapter has a lot of Faberry and Brittana, so I hope you stick around to see what happens._

_Oh, and please excuse my ignorance of 'swim meets.' I did a little research, but not nearly enough to make it very realistic._

_Also, sorry for the long delay...long boring story, so I will spare you all the details. I hope to be back to my weekly updates, all the way through Rachel's end game. Thanks so much to those of you who continue to read and review. :)_


	36. Mercury in Retrograde

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This is sort of a moody chapter, not a lot of humor and some difficult times for Quinn and Rachel, which they do resolve. Some serious M factor at the end of this chapter. Fair warning to those of you who don't like explicit language or sex scenes. The plot doesn't move forward a whole bunch, but it sets the stage for some of the hurdles Rachel, Quinn and the others will be dealing with. _

_..._

_Mike and Sam decided to take it up a notch. They sent Mr. Wiggly on a wild chase, forcing him to grope every swimmer in the pool. They forgot the part about_ _not_ '_zapping' anyone but Nate and Jenna._

_"Eeeeeeeeek," "Acccccccck," "Heellllp,"..."Owwwwww," "Arggggh,"_

_"There's something in the water!"_

_Peals of laughter._

_..._

**Chapter XXXVII: Mercury in Retrograde.**

...

Rachel burst into her office (third floor janitor's closet) interrupting the heavy scolding directed at two _very_ _bad_ boys!

"I told you dorks _**not **_to use the charge on anyone but the perver..."

Pucks irritation was evident in his tone but also, to Rachel's amazement, the hairs of his mohawk were standing on end; just like the hackles of a wild dog or wolf or..._nevermind_. She didn't have the time to be distracted by random curious phenomena.

"Move!" She urged, while narrowing her gaze at Sam. Poor Sam, he finally got to show off his skills as a gamemaster only to be thwarted by one silly little detail. He scurried off the bucket seat and eased himself behind Puck, who had taken control of Mike's joystick the moment he realized every swimmer in the pool was squealing.

Mike had himself firmly anchored to the side wall of the tiny closet. His posture was board straight, his arms were glued to the sides of his body, and his eyes were squeezed shut; all in an effort to become invisible. Rachel stepped up to the tall, gentle boy, thinking he would open his eyes to acknowledge her presence, but she realized quickly that this was Mike's unique and interesting style of managing stress. Delighted and endeared, Rachel decided to take it easy on the shy but talented dancer. No yelling or scolding because it was apparent that Noah had already castigated the boys.

She simply said,**"Boo!"** Mike flinched in response but refused to open his eyes.

"I _can_ see you BoBo...pretending to be Boo Radley won't make me go away." Rachel informed her newest Cast member and started to giggle. Mike finally opened his eyes and offered the diva a sheepish grin. Tina's pet name for her sensitive boyfriend was very apt..._nevermind Rachel, you've got to clean up this mess._

Rachel seated herself on Sam's abandoned bucket seat. "Give me that!" She growled at Puck and snatched the joystick out of his hand, immediately directing Mr. Wiggly on a path of evasive maneuvers.

The pool was finally cleared of howling swimmers. Coach Donnely decided to do a more thorough search, but this time he enlisted the help of the other swim coaches. The Carmel coach dove into the deep end, the Jefferson coach the shallow end, while Coach Donnely plunged in from mid-length. They worked it out amongst themselves to do sweeps across the pools width instead of the length.

Rachel concentrated on keeping Mr. Wiggly directly in the wake of Coach Donnely. She hoped the turmoil stirred up by his kicking would create enough distortion to keep Mr. Wiggly cloaked in invisibility. Hopefully, the other two coaches would be too caught up in their own search to notice anything strange going on behind Coach Donnely. Mr. Wiggly _was _invisible, but if one looked closely enough, you could still see the water displacement created by his movement.

In the earlier search of the pool, Puck had handled these evasive tactics masterfully. Rachel had given him specific instructions with the knowledge that such a search may occur. Now, however, because of the _unauthorized_ change in script, Rachel didn't trust Noah to stay calm under these unexpected circumstances. She had slipped away from the meet unnoticed while the '_swim fans_' were gleefully occupied by the spectacle in the pool. Once she reached the abandoned first floor corridor, she flew like an arrow toward her third floor office (janitor's closet).

Tapping her foot and bobbing her knee, Rachel twisted the joystick, expertly shadowing Coach Donnely. The coaches repeated their sweeps three times before retreating to the pools deck to shake their heads in wonderment.

"Whew!" Rachel exclaimed with great relief. She glanced over at Noah who was still obviously fuming at Sam and Mike's over-exhuberance. "We'll have to come back tonight to retrieve Mr. Wiggly and the cameras." Rachel said as she guided Mr. Wiggly back to the deep end and parked him on the bottom of the pool near the edge of the wall.

"I have a feeling Coach Donnely is going to want to drain the pool, I doubt he will be able to accomplish that before tomorrow so all is well Noah. You can stop being mad at Mike and Sam now. I'm not angry with them, nor _you, _so you can relax and chalk this experience up to...well, a renewal of your unequivocal devotion to my extraordinary direction."

Puck snorted out loud before pulling his Jewbro into a bear hug. He knew that Rachel was _mostly, sorta joking_, but what she said was true; he _was_ devoted to protecting her and his little slip in judgement almost spoiled this whole Operation. That would not happen again he silently promised himself.

The four of them exchanged fist bumps in celebration of the _mostly_ successful Operation, knowing they had been extremely lucky. Rachel packed up her computer while the boys tidied up her office (put the buckets back upon the shelf) before they slipped into the quiet hallway unobserved.

Puck groaned out loud, stumbling clumsily in mid-stride with a sudden realization.

"What's wrong Noah?" Rachel was suddenly concerned that they had left some task unfinished. Puck's face was filled with absolute dread. Mike and Sam were equally perplexed with Pucks sudden lapse in his usual cocky swagger.

"Oh God..." The boy was muttering under his breath before he expressed his true concern.

"Scary Quinn!"

"Ah... yes." Rachel concurred, while watching the flash of understanding flicker in the eyes of Sam and Mike, who were suddenly wearing very wary expressions.

Rachel wanted to reassure Puck, that she could square this away with Quinn, but she knew it would be an unlikely accomplishment. Quinn would nod her head and agree with whatever Rachel said in their defense. But then, at some later time, her over-protective girlfriend would corner all three boys and scare the living daylights out of them.

Sigh.

...

_**(Nine days later) Monday morning before first bell. Emergency meeting in the choir room. Mr. Schuester, the glee club, and Jeremy Miller.**_

Rachel was snuggled in Quinn's lap, her head upon the blonde's shoulder, her eyes closed tightly in denial. She was using Mike's stress management technique. If she closed her eyes and just pretended that she and Quinn were alone, and cuddling, and safe together, what was about to happen wasn't really going to happen. Stephanie Hanson's Lawyer had finally gone on the offensive. He'd lain the blame of Stephanie's behavior on the lawlessness of McKinley High. The Ten O'clock News on Sunday evening had run the story, and though Rachel's name was never mentioned, it had been leaked by an unknown source.

Everybody knew the sordid details of Stephanie's attempted murder.

Rachel was trying to be proactive in her own way. She wanted to let the air out of the story as quickly as possible so she began with her glee club friends. She called an emergency meeting early Monday morning, hoping that Kurt and Mercedes powers to saturate the rumor mill would neutralize the more inflammatory stories.

Puck, Santana, Brittany and Quinn already knew what happened, and even though Tina, Mike, Mercedes, Kurt, and Sam had become a part of the Cast; she had felt too vulnerable about the 'Schmanson Incident' to share it with them. She was still too emotionally raw, and if she'd had her way, no one would _ever_ find out. A part of her was embarrassed by what happened. As though it were her fault, somehow, that who she was as a person had caused Stephanie to single her out. She felt people would believe that to be true as well; she knew they would be thinking it.

So, she'd called Jeremy the night before and asked him to speak to Mr. Schuster and the glee club. Jeremy had witnessed most of the event; from the time Stephanie had kidnapped her in the parking lot, all the way through the awful threats of dismemberment. He would tell the story so Rachel wouldn't have to struggle with the words while reliving every detail in her mind. Brtittany, Santana, and Puck had placed themselves in chairs surrounding she and Quinn.

"Rachel?" Mr. Schue was standing in the center of the choir room, running his hand over the mop of curls on his head, staring at the floor while shaking his head back and forth. "What's going on? I'm a little confused by some of the rumors I heard in the hallway this morning, and now you've called an emergency glee club meeting...without my authorization?"

Rachel sat up in Quinn's lap to address Mr. Schuester who was behaving a bit strangely. He wasn't making eye contact with her, nor any of the glee club members for that matter. He seemed angry.

"Mr. Schue, I apologize for not getting your permission first, but this situation called for immediate action. I didn't want to disturb you last evening and you didn't answer your phone this morning... um... I called this early meeting so all of you may have the truth of what happened. The real truth, before it gets distorted and embellished throughout the day. I asked my friend, Jeremy, to help explain the events as he was a witness to all that transpired. Will you please allow him to speak Mr. Schue?"

Mr. Schuester nodded absently at the boy, who was standing off to the side, waiting nervously for permission to speak. Jeremy was nervous about talking in front of people but he found it impossible to deny Rachel anything. When he received her phone call last evening, his heart skipped a beat with excitement at hearing her warm soothing voice. Her request was not surprising after watching the evening news, and he felt honored that she trusted him to share this with her glee friends. _His _glee friends too. He found he rather enjoyed being accepted by the gleeks and was grateful to Rachel for including him in some of their activities.

Mr. Schue's big blue eyes were filled with confusion, worry, and a healthy dose of skepticism. It was amazingly easy to read the Spanish teachers face. Unfortunately, Will hadn't watched the evening news, so he was unaware those seemingly far-fetched rumors, were more than likely true. He grunted non-comittaly, but finally answered Rachel's request.

"Go ahead Jeremy, we may as well hear what you have to say."

William Shchuester was having mixed emotions. He decided to allow Jeremy to speak, and while he listened, maybe he could figure out if Rachel was, once again, trying to steal the spotlight. His overall expression was, for lack of a better word, muley.

Let us say that Mr. Schuester had reached his limit. His critical mass. The patience he worked so hard to maintain with this group of teens had finally run its course. He was filled to the brim with the endless piles of teenage angst and CRAP! Their juvenile infighting, their petty selfishness and grandstanding. He'd had enough! This latest rumor reeked of the 'Skanky Skunker'. He suspected that his glee kids were, somehow, mixed up with the practical joker, and he was finally going to put his foot down.

A tiny part of Will's mind, the part he refused to listen to, was begging him to use his common sense. Instead, he chose to be stubborn and disdainful of the little diva. Even if that unlikely story was true, he wanted to blame Rachel for creating yet another super drama. The glee club would suffer the scrutiny of the whole community because of Rachel Berry's arrogance. Her self-serving, insufferable attitude was a magnet for the wrath of every nightmare bully in the school. It was her own fault that people wanted to see her fall. It was her own fault that she had been targeted and he couldn't summon up the sympathy he knew he should be feeling.

Even after Jeremy's detailed, vivid description of the events that occurred on the day that Stephanie Hanson abducted Rachel, all he could feel was frustration and resentment for his star performer. So, like the Prince of Dunces, he pretended not to believe Jeremy's tale.

Mr. Schuester's _smaller_ mistake, was to underestimate his students feelings toward Rachel Berry. He assumed they still barely tolerated her, because, like him, they needed her voice. Will assumed that whatever weird joke Quinn, Santana, and Brittany were playing on Rachel was yet to be revealed. He knew those Cheerios would never truly care for the 'obnoxious dwarf,' as Santana was fond of calling her. Will was certain that Kurt and Mercedes still taunted Rachel about her childish wardrobe, and Finn was still ashamed that he'd dated the high strung little diva.

So, with all of those assumptions running through his mind, Will Schuester cleared his throat, smiled mockingly at Rachel and proceeded to make the _biggest_, dumbest, assiest mistake of his entire life. His timing always sucked. He was always a little too late, and never nearly smart enough to set a good example.

_**Train wreck warning...hold on to your seats.**_

"You do realize that, even for you Rachel, this is a little over the top. Is this some weird foray into performance art that got a little out of hand? What I don't understand is why two popular students like Jeremy Miller and Stephanie Hanson would put themselves on the line to participate in one of your outrageous schemes? Because I have really had it with the lengths you'll go through, all in an effor...-"

"_Mr. Schue, _you need to _shut your face!_" A very livid Mercedes Jones was standing with her fists clenched. She was prepared to leap off the risers and throttle her slack jawed, bug eyed teacher.

"Excuse me Mercedes? Will was visibly stunned by the rancor of Mercedes comment, he recovered enough to stutter out a warning. "You n..need to take your attitude _and your_ _tone_ down a notc..."

"**I** _**said**_..._**SHUT YOUR FACE!" **_Mercedes raised her voice to the man who had often supported her when she made similar complaints about Rachel. How she regretted those moments now.

"Have you lost your mind Mr. Schue? This kid Jeremy,.." She pointed to the boy who was still standing somewhat awkwardly in the center of the room.

"..who, in case you weren't listening, felt so bad about dousing Rachel with a double shot of grape slushie...this kid, _our friend,..._" Mercedes paused to gesture about the room at the rest of the gleeks, who were nodding their agreement. Puck, Santana, Brittany and Quinn were all glaring at their teacher furiously. Rachel was hurt by his intended accusation, but not surprised. Mr. Schue always did the wrong thing at the worst possible time. She felt kind of sorry for him because he always got everything backwards.

Mercedes continued, "Jeremy, who actually really cares about Rachel, spent the rest of that day on a wild chase to rescue her from the clutches of a murdering Psychopath! And your only concern, Mr. Schue, is that _maybe_ you are being punked? _Really Mr. Schue?_ And you're the one always accusing Rachel about being selfish. You better look in the mirror Mr. Schue. I did, and I'm a lot happier than I was. You also better get off your high horse, 'cos I'ma tellin' you now, and I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone in this room."

She paused for a moment to sneer at Finn, who was sulking in the corner while glaring daggers at Jeremy.

"Except for Finn, I'm positive that every member of glee will throw you down if you utter one more nasty word against our girl!"

And with that said, Mercedes stomped off the risers, she jerked her head in the direction of the doors, while each and every glee club member (except for Finn) followed her out, concluding the first, ever, en masse storm out.

William Schuester and Finn Hudson were left alone to wallow in the wisdom of their mutually stubborn stupidity.

...

**The J Word.**

For all of the growth, the transformation, the evolution of her personhood in this past year, Quinn Fabray still, on occasion, regresses to her darker former self. Rachel is quite aware when such a state decends upon her girlfriend. She is also very careful not to push the buttons that make her girlfriend falter. She could if she wanted to. Who didn't like to know that they were loved? But making Quinn jealous was not an option for Rachel. She was not insecure about Quinn's feelings for her, so she would not play with Quinn's emotions. Therefore, she was concerned on the previous evening that her phone call to Jeremy had trod upon a sensitive nerve for Quinn.

Rachel knew that Jeremy was attracted to her. She also knew that Jeremy knew she knew.

He openly acknowledged that Rachel was wholeheartedly in love with Quinn. Furthermore, he would never reveal his feelings for Rachel openly. She and Quinn would have to leap over this hurdle together. They would talk it out this evening because Rachel did not want Quinn's jealousy to fester.

Quinn Fabray is a very possessive person. What is hers, _is hers! _She makes no apologies about defending her right to claim her property. She also has no qualms in making threats and accusations when she feels someone has trespassed, or coveted, or dared to tread upon her territory. Therefore, Rachel was not surprised when her blonde bombshell of a girlfriend, stomped up to her table in the lunch room and created an _unfortunate_ scene.

"_**Rachel is mine!**_"

Was shouted into the face of the boy whom Rachel was quite fond of.

"Oh,no..." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, offered Jeremy a reassuring smile, while at the same time reaching across the table to clasp his forearm. She succeeded in anchoring him to his spot. "You're not going anywhere Jeremy," Rachel whispered at the boy; she arched an eyebrow at him, until he exhaled a big breathy sigh and nodded his reluctant agreement. The tiny diva quirked her lips affording him the tiniest of smiles, took a deep breath, and focused her attention on her very red faced, furious girlfriend.

"_**QUINN!...**_"

...

(Quinn)

The whole _unfortunate misunderstanding_ was set in motion because Rachel called Jeremy for help with the 'Schmanson Incident.' Ugh.

Quinn didn't know why, but she was suddenly feeling insecure. She didn't label the feeling as such, of course, but she was certainly understanding that it bothered her. A lot. She _hated_ that Rachel liked Jeremy. At the same time she understood _why_ Rachel liked Jeremy. Quinn liked Jeremy! What's not to like? The boy was sweet, fun, kind, loyal, attractive even, but that part didn't matter. Right?

He was one of those all American looking boys. She could just picture him as a child, playing little league baseball and eating ice cream after a game. There would be chocolate stains dripping down the front of his already dirt stained uniform. His skin was kissed by the sun, which spattered freckles across a face that was freakishly angelic. His nose was slightly pugged, his light brown hair was thick but cut too short in the back and left too long in the front; the lengthy bangs buried his brow, but not the crinkles surrounding his eyes because he was always laughing. That boy child, Jeremy, Quinn could imagine perfectly, because of the kind young man he had become.

His one mistake had been to Slushie Rachel. Well, he had made other mistakes, Quinn was sure, but the Slushie attack on Rachel had altered his life dramatically. He would be the first to agree and was ready to share the details with any who asked. Jeremy wasn't a braggart. He wasn't proud, or arrogant, or condescending, or angry, or resentful. He was happy and fun and good. He was _fucking perfect_.

And he was in love with Rachel.

UGH!

Of course he knew that Rachel loved Quinn. Jeremy was so damned good and perfect that he would never burden Rachel with his (hidden) affections. The boy tried. He tried so hard not to wear his heart on his sleeve, but Holy Hell in a Handbasket, that kid had it bad. She always thought Rachel had the biggest puppy dog eyes on the planet, until she caught Jeremy gazing at Rachel in the lunch room. Quinn felt sorry for him, it actually made her heart ache to see how much that Jeremy cared for Rachel. She would hurt like that too, if Rachel didn't return her love.

But Gahh! Fuck! Damn. Hell and Shit. She was freaking JEALOUS! She did not want to be jealous, and possessive, and scared, and worried, and fucking panicking with the thought that Rachel might just notice. What if Rachel noticed that Jeremy was in love with her? What if Rachel noticed how perfect Jeremy was? What if Rachel decided that Jeremy was better than Quinn?

Quinn _knew_ he was better than her. He was certainly kinder, more patient, happier and not all fucked up like Quinn. He hadn't gotten thrown out of his house by his holier than thou, alcoholic, homophobic parents. Jeremy hadn't become a father at sixteen, nor did he single handedly make Rachel an outcast on her very first day at McKinley High School. Quinn had done all of that.

Crap!

She didn't stand a fucking chance against the charms of a perfect boy who was every bit as devoted to her girlfriend as she was.

If Quinn had gone to Rachel with these concerns first, or San and Britt, or even Puck; she wouldn't be in the position she was currently in. Outing herself to the whole school, embarrassing her girlfriend, and terrifying the 'living daylights' out of the aforementioned perfect and humble sweetie pie, Jeremy Miller.

_**"QUINN!..."**_

Quinn forced herself to return to the present moment so she could apologize to Mr. Perfect and her incredibly beautiful and patient girlfriend.

...

**Rachel and Quinn (after school the same day).**

Rachel marched up stairs to her bedroom; Quinn was trailing behind with her invisible tail tucked between her legs. The tiny diva slammed her bedroom door, crossed her arms and tapped her foot. She glared at her girlfriend for a good long moment before addressing the problem at hand.

Quinn thought she was adorable. Frightening too, but definitely adorable. She was wearing a black dress with white polka dots, the ever present white knee highs, and Mary Janes. Her eyes were dark with anger, her brow was scrunched together tightly, and that delicious bottom lip was sticking out in full pout mode. Gah!

"Why are you so jealous of Jeremy?"

"UGH!...grrrrrrrrr."

"Really Quinn? That is a very juvenile response. I believe I have the right to know why my girlfriend went ballistic in the cafeteria, in front of the entire student body. Not only does everyone know that Stephanie Hanson attempted to make me the star of her very own slasher fantasy - although, as a film, it would have been B movie material with the sub par lighting and off-kilter camera angles. Still, my presence alone could probably have propelled it into a Blockbuster had..."

_**"Rachel Stop!" **_Quinn hated it when Rachel did this. Made a joke over everything that happened with Stephanie. She knew it was her own way of distancing herself from the horrible events that unfolded mere weeks ago.

"However, Quinn, now everyone in the school also knows that I _belong _to the Head Cheerio! Like an inanimate object that can be bought and paid for. Like a lamb to be branded and put in the pen. Like a bushel of berries freshly pic..."

_**"Rachel ...please stop...I'm sorry okay?"**_

"I don't know Quinn... is it okay? Because the way you behaved today made me think that you have very little faith in my fidelity to you. Do you think because Jeremy is the very first boy, outside of glee, who has the decency to treat me like a person, a friend, instead of the school leper. Do you think I'm so starved for attention that he could sweep me off my feet and carry me into the sunset like a brainless booby? That I would turn my back on you without a second glance? Really Quinn? Is that what you think of me? Do you really believe that my feelings for you are so small and irrelevant?"

At that point, Rachel made the mistake of invading Quinn's personal space. She poked Quinn in the chest with an irritated finger, and that was the spark that lit the Cheerios fuse. Suddenly, they were grappling with one another, until Quinn finally managed to wrestle Rachel onto the bed.

"No Quinn, you don't get to do this." Rachel's gaze was dark, her voice was low and steady but laced with a sharp edge that sent a shiver of fear up Quinn's spine.

Quinn had Rachel flat on her back, straddling her waist, each wrist pinned on either side of the tiny diva's head. She was panting and huffing from the struggle of restraining her amazingly squirmy girlfriend.

Her face was flushed, her hazel eyes were swirling with a feral green gleam; the emotions flickering across her face were many and varied. Compile them together and most everyone else would assume the Cheerio was livid, preparing to squash whomever it was that crossed her. Rachel wasn't fooled. Quinn was scared, and hurt, and unreasonably insecure. Whenever circumstances usurped her perceived control, the blonde retreated to what was formerly her comfort zone.

Total domination.

At this moment, those wild eyes were swirling with equal parts frustration and desire; it appeared as though she was planning on having a diva snack.

"You don't get to fuck me into submission Quinn!"

Rachel was panting too. The scuffle the two of them had served to escalate their unresolved emotions, pushing them both into a territory neither had previously navigated.

The question and answer period was over. For now. Performing a move that defied the laws of physics, Rachel arched her back, then slipped her right leg out and around Quinn's hips; before she could blink her eyes, their positions were flipped. Rachel was on top, staring into Quinn's soul with a fiery hunger that melted Quinn's bones.

Rachel decided to turn their _unfortunate misunderstanding_ into a teaching moment. She would teach, and Quinn would learn.

This day had been wrought with so much wrongness. The veiled laughter and unsubtle mockery, the curious and embarrassing stares, Mr. Schue's betrayal, and last but not least; Quinn had gone berzerk. Outing them to the whole school in a manner which, even in her most imaginative moments, Rachel could not have conjured such a bizarre scenario. And yet, in the midst of all that negativity, that fear among the student body. Because, Rachel knew that's what was being reflected. Fear. Brittany had told her earlier, 'People get mean when they're afraid, sometimes, it's not about you Rach.'

So, even with a boatload full of ugly, mean, hurtful, thoughts and sentiments; all of them directed at her, Rachel was okay. She was more than okay. She had a group of the best friends she had ever dared hope for. But, most importantly, she had the most beautiful, possessive, crazy ass girlfriend in the world. She had Quinn. She had Quinn, and was so damn proud that her girl had blown a nut, and turned into a 'cave woman' in the cafeteria.

So, now she was going to ease Quinn's fears. She was going to show her girlfriend how very much she loved her. Rachel was going to thank Quinn for that wonderfully disastrous display of, 'What's mine is _MINE_!'

Quinn wasn't sure how the tables had turned, but suddenly she didn't care. Rachel was devouring her soul. Her mouth and hands were everywhere; every time Quinn tried to reciprocate, tried to return a caress, or deepen a kiss, or nibble an earlobe, she was swatted away. Her cheerleading uniform had been stripped away in record time; Rachel was crawling between her legs, holding her in place with a gentle palm upon her stomach, and a questing mouth that sucked the fight out of Quinn's useless objections.

Rachel was gentle and fierce, tender and wild, and altogether domineering. Quinn didn't stand a chance.

Rachel's fingers were deep inside her, pushing and thrusting, she pinched and twisted Quinn's nipples with her free hand, all the while whispering _not so sweet_ nothings into Quinn's ear.

"I'm doing some claiming of my own...I'm going to fuck you senseless Quinn...and when you wake up...(pant)...I'm going to take you again, and again, and again...(gasp)...I'll take you with my mouth, I'll take you from behind, I'll take you on the floor, against the wall, over the desk...until you understand, Quinn...(gasp)

...until you understand that (pant)... just as much as I am yours..."

She curled her fingers just so, stroked that special spot that made Quinn scream.

"ghaaaa...ohh...ohhh... aaahhhhhhh!"

"...you belong to me..."

Quinn passed out.

**To Be Continued.**

_I intended to have a major Brittany and Santana scene in this chapter but decided to start the next chapter off with them instead. Also in the next chapter, the beginning of Stephanie's trial and Sue Sylvester's testimony, plus a highlight of Act III, Scene II: Hey, Teacher! _

_Thanks to all of you who continue to read and review. :)_


	37. Disorder in the Court

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended.

_More M material in this Chapter. Sorry about the smut for those of you who don't like it, and your welcome, to those of you who do! ;) I try to space it out a bit but these last two chapters just happen to have back to back scenes. This chapter is a big, rambling, set-up for events that will happen in the very near future. Things are getting a bit complicated, but I promise to sort them all out. At the end is a bit of the 'Schmanson' Trial. Also, this chapter is a little rough around the edges. I'll be cleaning it up, but I didn't want to delay the update because it's been two weeks already. _

...

**Chapter XXXVIII: Disorder in the Court.**

**Rachel and Quinn.**

Rachel really didn't have the time to follow through on the _promises_ she made to Quinn before her girlfriend passed out. She _would_ have followed through, with a great deal of zeal, however, her Dad and Daddy would be home from work soon. It was imperative they freshen up her bedroom so it didn't smell like sex! Her parents were aware that she and Quinn were active sexually but they never made it easy for the girls to be together. Furthermore, they never openly approved. Whenever Quinn stayed over they were expected to leave her bedroom door open. Well, except for that brief period after Stephanie attacked her.

At any rate, Quinn needed to wake up and take a shower with her. They needed to change the linens on her bed and open the windows to air out the room.

"Quinn... sweetheart... baby..." Rachel whispered into her girlfriends ear while gently stroking her cheek. "You must wake up before my Dad's get home... sweeeety..." Rachel pleaded but Quinn was sound asleep, she was even snoring a little.

_Darn! _(stomp) Rachel almost cursed, but decided to use a different technique. She snatched her water glass off the night stand, marched into her bathroom, filled it up with cold water, then...

Splash!

"Glug...lug...choke, gasp,... sputter...what the fuck?" Quinn sputtered helplessly, her eyes were clenched tightly together, but she managed a peek through the one that was less flooded only to glimpse a naked blur running for the bathroom.

"Giggle."

_That little sneak_. "I saw you Rachel, and don't think you're off the hook. You owe me five more orgasms!" _Oh My God. Did I really just say that? _Whatever, the little sneak made some dirty promises right before Quinn passed out and she was going to cash in her chips. She climbed out of the now soggy bed and headed for the bathroom where she could hear the shower running on full spray.

Some little time later...

Fully clothed and freshly showered both girls were attempting to study. Their books were spread all over Rachel's bed, but they kept getting distracted by one another. Quinn was distracted, simply because Rachel was in the room with her. And Rachel was distracted, well, for pretty much the same reason.

"Let's talk about tomorrow." Rachel decided it was useless to pretend that they would get any work done. She pushed Quinn's books off the end of the bed and crawled over to place her head in her girlfriends lap. Quinn stroked her face tenderly, before running her fingers through the silky soft tresses and continued to massage Rachel's head.

"What about tomorrow?" Quinn asked a little hesitantly because she heard a flutter of apprehension in Rachel's tone.

"Well, since you outed us to the whole school, how are we going to act? Like nothing happened at all? Or, are we going to step forward and make a statement? Kurt is the only student who is truly out. Everyone assumes that Santana and Brittany are a couple but even they don't hold hands or kiss where anyone can see them. They do link pinkies but that is a very ambiguous clue. What do you want to do Quinn?" Big brown eyes were wide with wonder at what her girlfriend might say.

It was a little disconcerting to try and think of an answer while holding onto that deeply expressive gaze. _Gah!_ _Whatever, I want to make it clear to Rachel what I want. No half-assed attempts, not after what I did in the cafeteria today._

"I want to walk down the hall holding your hand Rachel. I want every single person in the school to know that you are taken. I know Jeremy would never hit on you, but just seeing him sitting with you made me crazy. It made me think that everyone thought you were with him, or that you were going to be. Espescially after the Schmanson story was spread around. But, that isn't the only reason Rach. I just want them to know that we are together. I'm proud of us and I don't want to hide it anymore. Not to anyone."

Quinn got lost in her words for a moment, so she didn't notice the absolute joy consuming her girlfriends features. It became quite clear when Rachel pulled Quinn's face down, and soft, soft lips were suddenly fastened to her own. _Hmmm...maybe Rachel would make good on her dirty promises after all_. Quinn thought before succumbing to the softness of her girlfriends mouth.

...

**Brittany and Santana **

_(Tuesday morning, the day after Quinn's meltdown in the cafeteria)_

Nate Minetti and Jenna Doran were not the only couple in the school to take advantage of the linen closet in the laundry room. The space was a fairly large, long narrow room, boasting tall shelved cubbies loaded with McKinley High athletic wares. It housed spare uniforms, gym outfits, and towels for all the athletic teams and gym classes. There were also wool blankets with the schools emblem, and table cloths for special events and banquets held within the cafeteria. The laundry room facility was placed directly between the boys and girls locker rooms and thus was considered a neutral territory. Any student with access to a locker room, had access to the laundry room.

On a daily basis the athletes dropped off their sweaty, dirty uniforms, or gym outfits, their wet towels, and stinky gear to be laundered by a well trained staff of student workers. The work schedule was posted on the bulletin board so it was easy to know when the laundry room would be unattended.

Tuesday morning, third hour, was a study period for Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce, but rather than wasting that precious time 'studying' in the Cheerio locker room, they capitalized on the down time in the laundry room. They staked their claim earlier in the school year, and eventually, after several interruptions and minor altercations, it was well established that the linen closet in the laundry room was off limits to _everyone_ during third hour on Tuesdays. Except for Santana and Brittany of course.

"Ms. Lopez... you do realize you are under oath don't you?" Brittany was playing the horny lawyer and Santana was the naughty witness. They were practicing for Santana's upcoming testimony.

"Yes Ms. Pierce." Santana answered with a sultry whisper while unzipping Brittany's Cheerio skirt. Brittany just finished laying several blankets on the floor so they would be comfortable during their fantasy game of, 'Disorder in the Court.'

"Is it true, Ms. Lopez, that you're a badass in the streets, but a kitten between the sheets?"

"What?" Santana squawked.

"Awww...come on San, you're a totally cuddly kitten after your pussy had been stroked, and licked... 'specially after I've taken you _really_ hard, and then I bring you down with lots of lapping and purring and petting... I want to do that now San...I want my cuddly kitten today."

But before Santana could object to Brittany's observations of her badassness in the bedroom, she was pulled into the blonde's lap, her Cheerio top was shoved up and out the way, and Brittany latched her mouth upon a nipple. Shortly thereafter, she was stripped of her skirt, straddling Brittany's lap and riding the blonde's hand like a cowgirl breaking a wild bronco.

"Ay...dios...(pant)...yes...don't stop baby...yes...fuck...please, baby pleeeaseeee...-

Then, suddenly, that near orgasmic bliss, that wild ride into a blinding sunset, collapsed into an anti-climatic nothing. Brittany's fingers disappeared, her lips detached themselves from a very distended nipple, and Santana was unceremonioulsy dumped upon the prickly woolen blankets on the floor.

**"What the fuck Britt?"** Santana screeched. She was lying on her back with her Cheerio top smushed over her breasts, her skirt around her ankles, and her face a vivid purple. Yeah, so, it was fairly impossible for Santana to look anything at all like, well, a 'cuddly kitten'.

"Shsssh...did you hear that San?" Brittany whispered to Santana, who was understandably apoplectic from being led to the edge of the cliff and left to dangle there. _What the fricken fuck? Whoever had the balls to disturb her and Britt's time together wasn't going to have balls for very long._

Knock, knock, knock.

The softest tap a person could conceivably accomplish was being practiced on the outside of the linen closet door. _Who the hell?_ Santana very regretfully pulled her top down, she dragged up her spanks and skirt, marched over to the door and yanked it open.

**"What in hell could you two possibly want in this bloody closet? And don't you fucking know that Britt and I have it reserved for the rest of our high school careers on Tuesday during third hour?"**

Cindy Bingham and Giles Deroche were nodding, frantically agreeing with the scary Latina. The color of their faces was beet, and darker beet, but still, Cindy found the courage to explain herself succinctly.

"Nate Minetti, Jenna Doran and half the swim team are planning on doing something to the glee club, but more specifically, they really want to hurt Rachel."

Silence...

"What?" Santana whispered in confusion, while gaping at the pair but saw that both of them were deadly serious. Serious enough to brave the temper of _Satan Lopez_ to deliver this piece of ugly news.

"Get in here!" Santana ordered, she grabbed them each by a forearm and dragged them into the closet.

Brittany heard what Cindy said of course, and while Santana was slamming the closet door, Brittany grabbed another blanket to drape upon the floor so Cindy and Giles could sit down with them. Santana rolled her eyes but didn't have it in her to scold her girl for being such a gracious hostess.

Once the four of them were settled comfortably upon the blankets, Santna donned her '_badass in the streets_' persona. She crossed her arms, glared at the frightened freshmen and quietly began demanding answers.

"Start talking." She growled.

Cindy and Giles bobbed their heads in unison, but Giles allowed Cindy to tell the story.

"We were hiding in the old equipment room during gym class. Coach Sylvester has us playing dodge ball again, and Giles and I are always the first ones out. We always sneak into the equipment room to avoid the rest of the match. Anyway, the swim team has weights second hour on Tuesday and Thursdays. The weight room is on the other side of the wall, and...um... we could hear everything that Nate and Jenna were saying."

"Wait a minute?" Santana held up her hand and narrowed her eyes at the timid girl.

Cindy visibly flinched while Giles stared at his lap. They were both tiny people. Their hair was the color of sun bleached straw, and their eyes were pale blue. If one didn't know any better they could have easily been mistaken for fraternal twins.

"How could you hear through the wall what was going on in the weight room?"

Cindy began to blush, but she had been bold enough to come to Santana with the news, so she would be brave enough to tell her the truth.

"Don't scare Cindy San, let her and Giles tell us." Brittany scolded Santana, but took the bite out of her words by bending over and kissing her on the cheek. Santana's cheeks reddened, while Brittany encouraged Cindy to continue. "It's okay Cindy, San just gets cranky when she doesn't know what's going on. Go ahead and finish your story."

The shy girl smiled at Brittany, she reached over to clasp Giles hand, then finished her explanation.

"We were standing beneath the air vent that's connected to both rooms. We were, um..."

Brittany winked at Santana and they both shared a grin at what the two were _obviously_ _doing_ in the old equipment room during second hour. They _were_ avoiding dodge ball, but they were also getting their mack on. Which was kind of weird because Santana had pegged Giles as a mini Kurt. Not so much now, but it didn't matter because she had a new found affection for these two former losers.

"...anyway, we could hear everything that Nate and Jenna were saying. They think it's all the glee clubs fault. All the practical jokes. They don't even think there _is_ a Skunker, they just think the glee club had been doing the pranks all along. Anyway, they plan on sabotaging your Sectionals competition. And for some reason, Nate really hates Rachel and wants to do something to ruin her voice. They were just saying a bunch of stuff, they didn't have a real plan yet, by the sounds of it. But... um... Nate sounded really mad and serious about hurting Rachel."

Silence...

Whoa! This was seriously wrong and Santana was fighting the urge to just hunt Nate down and pound the shit out of him right now. But it would be better if he didn't know they knew. That would give them time to prevent this all from happening.

"Cindy, did any of the swim team see you? Did they know you were in the equipment room?" Santana asked, hoping these two had used some common sense while trying to spy.

"No...we...ah..." Giles spoke up for the first time. He gained a little confidence when Cindy grabbed his hand. He was still blushing but his voice was steady. "We never talk very loud when we hide in the equipment room because we don't want to get caught. And we waited for the second bell to ring to make sure the swimmers were all on their way to third hour. We're late for Biology right now, but we wanted to tell you before they do anything, and,...um..." More blushing.

"...everyone knows where you two are third hour."

"I see," Santana snickered at the boy's forwardness. "Why didn't you tell Finn? He's still following you two around and chasing off anyone who would Slushie you, isn't he?"

"Yes." Cindy responded this time. "But we don't trust Finn. He isn't very nice to Rachel anymore, nor Quinn."

Santana and Brittay sadly agreed with that statement. Brittany felt a little bad that Finn had isolated himself so much from glee. She hoped he would come around soon, but before she could pursue that line of thought Santana had moved on.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. You two are not to tell anyone what you just told me and Britt. Got it?"

Nod. Nod.

"We don't know what the swim team is planning but Sectionals is a month away, so that gives us some kind of timeline to work with. However, what you said about damaging Rachel's voice could happen at any time. We'll take steps to protect her, but in the mean time, I want you both to keep spying on the swim team during second hour on the days that they have weights. I'll work it out with Coach Sylvester so she doesn't notice you're absent from her class. Okay?"

Nod. Nod.

Santana and Brittany thanked the adorable couple, shooed them off to Biology class and sat back down to discuss how to broach this with Rachel and Quinn.

"We gotta tell Rach and Quinn right away San. He could put something in her drink, or poison her at lunch or something. I think we should go right now San."

"Okay." Santana didn't even bother to argue. She just folded up the blankets, while thinking a little forlornly of their interrupted game. Oh well, they could always play, 'Disorder in the Court' when they got home that evening.

Brittany started to cry. She was getting wound up and Santana knew that the only way her girlfriend would calm down was to go directly to Rachel and Quinn's AP Chemistry class.

And that's exactly what they did.

...

**Rachel, Quinn, Brittany, Santana and all of the Gleeks. Except for Finn.**

_(Rachel's Lab Oratory Tuesday evening.)_

"I still think we should inform Coach Sylvester, Rachel. I understand Nate and Jenna's need to punish the glee club for what happened at the swim meet. Even if they can't prove any of their allegations. I do, however, fear the threat against you, personally, much more. Nate has no concern about hurting you physically. I think he would enjoy that very much. None of the pranks the 'Skunker' has pulled have physically harmed life or limb... but this is really scary Rachel."

Artie finished his quiet speech and glanced around to see that most everyone was nodding their agreement.

Artie and Lauren had finally been invited into the fold. Rachel broke her rule requiring an audition and plea for admittance for these last two members of her cast. They had shown remarkable versatility throughout this whole year. They had both helped, unwittingly at times...or maybe not?, in several of the Scenes. They were also very supportive of she and Quinn's relationship and exceptionally displeased at Mr. Schuester's poor treatment of her at yesterdays glee meeting.

It was a tight fit, squeezing the twelve of them around Rachel's work table in her Lab Oratory, but she did have enough stools for everyone. Rachel even had one stool which sported a back support, and arm rests, so Artie could join them at the tall table.

"I say you just let me pound the shit out of that pervert. The rest of the swim team ain't so bad when Nate's not around to provoke them. Except for Jenna, but Santana can take care of her." Puck got off his stool to pace. Santana joined him and together they criss-crossed the lab creating a web of invisible tension.

"Puck's right. If we let those assholes know we're onto them they won't have the balls to try anything." Santana agreed.

"I agree with Artie." Tina cast her vote. Mercedes, Mike and Sam bobbed there heads in support.

"Coach Sylvester will not be able to accomplish anything, even if she wants to!"

Kurt's voice rang out clear and strong and held an edge of frustrated anger. Everyone turned to stare with big eyes at their fellow gleek.

"Don't you remember at the beginning of the year when David threatened my life? Sue took it to the School Board. They said without a witness to his threats they couldn't, and wouldn't, punish him in any way. No. As much as I hate this situation we have to come together and confront them ourselves. Hopefully, in a manner by which no one will be harmed." He glared at Santana and Puck while finishing his statement.

"Kurts right." Rachel finally spoke her thoughts. Quinn and Brittany were seated on either side and chose to sit and listen, they already knew what Rachel intended to do regarding the teachers and staff. Asking them to help would be pointless, which is why she started the Play to begin with.

"Coach Sylvester will not be able to act in our support. At least not openly, although recently she has been intentionally obtuse. I believe she is much more aware of everything that's happening and helping in her own way. However, this swim team problem is _ours_. Nate has reasons beyond the swim meet to dislike and fear me. I think he's using his teammates to help him retaliate because he fears getting caught. He knows who my Uncle is and is too smart to act alone in this. No. Nate Minetti will set this up for one of his teammates, or Jenna, to take the fall, so he can slither away untouched again."

"This is what we're going to do." Rachel continued, "We'll hold off on Act III, Scene II: 'Hey Teacher.' We'll postpone it until next Thursday, to time it so it follows after Coach Sylvester's testimony. We all know Stephanie's lawyer is intending to make a mockery of the school in a desperate attempt to get an acquittal. I was very disappointed with Mr. Schuester's reaction in glee club yesterday, but I was not surprised. All the teachers have become numb and indifferent to the bullying, but I intend to wake them up.

Each and every member of the staff will get a taste of what it's like to be betrayed by their peers. Hopefully, when it's all over, they will gain some insight as to what it's like for us. In the mean time. According to Cindy and Giles, the swim team is intending to sabotage Sectionals. That's a month away so we have time to prepare ourselves." Rachel raised her hand at this point, to fend off the incoming objections.

"As for Nate's threat about doing something to damage my voice? I think it's safe to say we should _all_ take precautions. Whatever he intends to do to me, he could just as easily do to any of you. We will travel in groups. We will prepare our own lunches and drinks at home. Don't even use the fountains at school, or the bathroom sinks. That boy has as much self-restraint as Stephanie Hanson. We will set a trap for Nate Minetti, but before we get those details worked out, everyone must show precaution."

Silence filled the room while everyone took in what Rachel had said.

"Sniffle."

Brittany was crying again. She sat on her stool next to Rachel with big shiny tears pouring down her cheeks. She didn't want to be so upset, but everything just made her sooo sad. She tried not to, but just thinking about someone wanting to hurt Rachel again, and especially her voice, made her so, so, sad.

Rachel reached over encircling her friends waist. She placed a gentle kiss on Brittany's cheek while simultaneously 'eye talking' at Santana. _Stop pacing around like a maniac! Get over here and hold your girlfriend. _Santana scrambled around the table to pull Brittany into her arms.

"Lauren?" Rachel addressed the All Star Wrestler, thinking this might make Brittany feel a little better. Brittany was kind of in awe of Lauren. She would never let on in front of Santana because Santana was the _baddest badass _in all of McKinley, but Brittany thought Lauren _really rocked_.

"Would you consider joining Santana and Quinn as my personal guard throughout the day?"

"Hey!" Puck exclaimed indignantly. Rachel never asked _him_ to be her personal guard. He did that anyway but still, she should be asking _him, _not his girlfriend_. _Crap! He caught the little diva's glance and realized that Rachel always had a reason for everything that she did. So, he shrugged his shoulders indifferently and punched his girlfriend on the shoulder as she responded to Rachel's request.

Lauren shoved Puck out of her way and gave him the 'stink eye' for punching her. She stretched her arms above her head, clasped her hands together and cracked her knuckles loudly before replying.

"I would be delighted, however, I should like the title 'Personal Assistant,' as bodyguard seems crude, and well, oafish."

Rachel giggled, Santana huffed indignantly, Brittany and everyone else laughed out loud.

**Stephanie Hanson's Trial.**

_(Rachel)_

Stephanie Hanson was sitting at the Defense Counsel's table, looking very young and vulnerable and innocent. Instead of diabolical, and disturbed, and demented as she truly was. Her flaxen hair was bound in a loose french braid, which settled upon her back; it shone brightly, radiating light and warmth. One could almost think she had a halo if one didn't know better. She wore a simple white blouse buttoned to the throat, clasped by a very ornate broach. It looked like a butterfly and Rachel cringed internally. _How dare that evil creature choose a butterfly broach!_ She immediately started thinking of the tailor with the moth fetish in _Silence of the Lambs._ He stitched together dresses made of human skin. _Eww._ Rachel couldn't tell what Stephanie was wearing below the blouse but guessed it was a conservative skirt. Mr. Parker was making a point to present his client as wholesome and innocent. _Harumph!_

Quinn, Santana, Finn, and David Karofvsky were waiting in an office down the hall, they were all going to testify today, after Mr. Parker was done with Coach Sylvester. Rachel was seated behind the Prosecution, but in front of the gallery full of courtroom onlookers. Brittany was seated to her right and her Daddy and Judy were on her left. Her Dad had to work today but Rachel assured him that between her Daddy, Judy and Brittany she would be very well taken care of. She was bobbing her knee and tapping her foot while Brittany held her hand and squeezed it gently every time her knee started to gain too much altitude.

Sigh.

The trial was not open to the public, except for a handful of reporters, family, friends, and members of the Police department. Stephanie was being tried as an adult. The Prosecutor was forced to play hardball because Stephanie's lawyer refused to use common sense. His Honorable Judge, Francis Destrampe, was furious at Mr. Parker for moving forward with this defense. He believed that Stephanie would be better served by a plea and institutionalization where a therapist could work with her. However, her lawyer, Mr. Trevor Parker, argued that her chances of acquittal were high, which left the court with no option, except to go forward with a Jury trial.

So, here they all were, on the first day of the Defense Counsel's formal case. The Prosecutor already presented their argument and witnesses. That had been a rather straight forward affair. Except for the part where Mr. Parker declared that he would be recalling Peter as a witness. Rachel suspected he was going to delve more deeply into the matter of _how _Peter discovered Rachel's whereabouts when Stephanie abducted her. She sincerely hoped that Peter could come up with a believable lie, in lieu of confessing Rachel's camera eyes, thus exposing her as the PrankMaster.

Still, there was a mountain of evidence against Stephanie, which was really all that mattered. The film the Prosecution presented as their final piece of evidence would be hard to deny or misinterpret. The video of Stephanie's capture was chilling to watch, and even though she experienced the event in real life, Rachel was holding her breath throughout the whole presentation. The Jury had been rendered dumbstruck. Furthermore, after assessing the sympathetic glances directed her way, Rachel hoped the tape would be enough to send Stephanie away for a very long time, if not forever.

_(Mr. Trevor Parker)_

Trevor Parker was an ambitious man who was nearing the end of a lusterless career and harboring a thirst, a hunger, a deep seated longing for a really _BIG_ case. That one _case_ that would put him on the map. The _case_ where Nancy Grace would be begging to decimate him on National T.V.

His practice had been modestly successful. He defended doctors and drunks and drug addicts. He handled the occasional embezzlement scandal, fraud, and domestic abuse galore, but never, ever, had he been presented with a case that had the potential to propel him into STARDOM.

Until now.

Everything about this case was a lawyers wet dream. Hell would have to freeze over before he chose to plea it out to an overly cocky Prosecutor. The Hanson girl was gorgeous, young, and very sympathetic. It didn't matter what she had done as far as Trevor Parker was concerned. With those looks and his skill, he could twist these facts around and make her the victim along with Rachel Berry.

The Jury would eat it up but so would the entire Nation. He couldn't wait to work his misleading magic; a little smoke and mirrors, a distraction or two, or three, by which the end result would be an acquittal for a misguided young girl. A young girl who was _really sorry_ that her little prank had gotten so out of control. But, _gee whiz_, the same thing had happened to _her_ at school so she didn't think it would be that big a deal.

Trevor Parker was convinced the Jury would buy it.

He _mostly_ did. After his investigation of that Looney Bin School had been completed, he was overjoyed by what he had uncovered. That crazy High School would become the center of a shit storm, and at it's very core, would be the Championship Cheerleading Coach.

Ms. Sue Sylvester.

His star witness, who was, at this very moment, performing exactly how he anticipated.

He was content to let her ramble. She was truly insane and the more she talked the crazier she appeared. All he had to do was ask his pointed questions and Sue Sylvester gladly answered, confirming in the minds of every person in the court room that this lady was Certifiably Cuckoo.

Trevor shrugged his shoulders, forced himself to stop gathering wool, and continued his line of questioning. His slicked back his mostly not there hair, straightened his two hundred dollar tie, clicked his oxford heels on the floor, and asked the crazy lady his next question.

_"Is it true you held a ceremony by which you married yourself ?"_

"Of course, who else would I marry? There isn't another soul on the planet who is worthy of my affections. I performed the ceremony myself, I am an ordained minister. I acquired my license on line, probably at the same place you earned your law degree."

The courtroom erupted into giggles and chuckles at Sue's unveiled insult. She was the Defense Counsel's first official witness in these proceedings. Trevor Parker wanted a strong first impression. He wanted the members of the Jury to get a huge dose of how whacky and disturbing the environment at McKinley High School really was. Sue Sylvester embodied that insanity. So, he laughed along with everyone else, humoring the Cheerleading Coach, before continuing his examination.

_"Is it true you were going to shoot a student out of giant canon? And that you created a waiver that would lure the student into agreeing to something that could have caused her serious, and possibly, fatal injury."_

"Yes." Sue nodded enthusiastically, " That stunt would have clinched the Sixth National Title for our squad had William Schuester and his Cirque du Gleeks not betrayed me. Apparently, a personal injury waiver needs to be written with real pen and ink, not Crayola Crayons. I learned from that mistake and will be practicing with my canon for this years competition. However, to address the latter of your concerns, my answer is NO. The canon would not have hurt Ms. Pierce. We were practicing with dummies! I would never have fired Ms. Pierce out of that canon until at least one of the dummies made a safe landing."

Sue smiled confidently at the Jury. Mr. Parker shook his head in disbelief but decided to move it along. He had a very long list of questions that would illustrate just how NUTS Sue Sylvester really was.

_"Is it true you broke into William Schuesters home and stole fifteen jars of Dippity Doo? And did you write a message with the stolen hair gel on his bathroom mirror that said: 'I got your goop Willfro, you've been duped. Live long and Frizz!' ?"_

Sue snorted...giggled, chortled... smirked, before forcing her features into a stoic mask and answering with a simple, "Yes."

That blonde girl who was sitting with Ms. Berry broke into giggles, which caused a wave of muffled laughter to roll throughout the courtroom.

_"Is it true you have a derogative nickname for every student in the school and address the students with these insulting epithets?"_

"I wouldn't necessarily call them insults." Sue crunched up her brow, sincerely baffled by Mr. Parkers assumption.

"For example, I call the Berry girl, 'Streisand.' I think she rather enjoys being likened to her idol. And, that Hummel boy, the one who's 'light on his feet' - I call him 'Porcelain.' His fair skin blushes with pleasure every time I use the compliment.

The Jolly Green Giant, you know the Hudson boy? I have a plethora of pet names for him. Lets see...there's Frankenteen, Lurch, Herman Munster, Finncompetent,...oh wait... that's not right, actually... that's 'Fun Bags' nickname for The Towering inFinno. Fun Bags has a better list than I do for The Boy Moron. You should ask her to share them when she testifies. Oh, I guess you'll need to know that _Fun Bags_ is the Lopez girl.

I also find it very offensive that you think I use these terms of endearment on students only.

Our Guidance Counselor, Ms. Pillbury, is otherwise known as, 'The Ginger Bread Nut.' Get it? Pillsbury dough boy? Bread? Plus, she has red hair and a very obsessive, unhealthy fetish for sanitation. Well, technically, I guess you could call it a healthy fetish because she prefers everything to be as clean as the virgin sno...-"

Parker rolled his eyes, he could hardly believe how completely un-remorseful this woman was about the way she treated her students and fellow teaching staff. She was digging a hole for herself that she could never crawl out of. All the better for him but, still...just wow.

_"We get it Ms. Sylvester, lets move on. Is it true you trampled and shoved students in the hallway just moments before destroying Coach Beistes' office in a fit of rage?"_

"They were in my way! Everyone at the school knows the rules! If you aren't quick enough to dodge and weave then you get run over. They've had years of practice. I can't believe some of them are still that slow! I'll have to start doing random sweeps again, to get them back in shape."

_Diabolical._

_"Is it true you rigged the Secret Santa for the Staff, so you would be the sole recipient of all the gifts? And did you, or did you not, dress up as the Grinch who stole Christmas and destroy the glee clubs Christmas tree? And, last but not least, did you really steal the gifts the glee kids procured for a Children's Shelter?_

"That was more than one question Mr. Parker, but I think I managed to follow your ramble, let me see...yes, yes, and oh... um...ah... wait. YES!

Moans and groans of disapproval could be heard among the gallery of courtroom onlookers.

_"Did you force Jacob Ben Israel to reveal Quinn Fabray's pregnancy to the entire school on his blog?"_

"Absolutely!"

_"Quinn Fabray was the Captain of your Championship Cheerleading squad, why would you expose her in such a cruel manner?"_

"Now that is your whole problem Mr. Parker. You've already made a judgment about my behavior, about my actions, without understanding the underlying motivations. I did Juno a favor. If I hadn't ripped that metaphorical band aid off, she would have suffered much more. My method allowed everybody to find out at once. She got pointed at, and stared at, for a couple of days, and then everyone went on with their utterly useless, un-fulfilling lives. Quinn would have endured months of pent up stress from sneaking and trying to hide her BIG secret from everyone. That would have been awful for her, not to mention bad for the _devil's spawn_ the Puckerman boy implanted in her."

More moans and groans from the courtroom audience, but there was a also a high pitched little giggle that emanated from _that_ _blonde girl_ who was seated next to Rachel Berry.

"And, lets be honest, it was a GIGANTOR SECRET, which would not have remained a secret for very long. Preggo was gaining pounds by the day! Q. may have hated me at the time, but she eventually forgave me. She's back to being the Captain of my squad again. The cub she whelped has a new home with Streisand's cougar mother. Everyone is happy. Well, the garden gnome...ah, I mean, 'Streisand', was a little displeased that she was replaced by her nemesis evil spawn. However, I think Streisand and Juno have worked their little problems out, via the tongue and tonsil hockey matches they engage in frequently."

Trevor Parker was almost in awe of Sue Sylvester, as was the rest of the courtroom. They all watched and listened in shocked amazement as she continued to debase and, furthermore, brag about the abuse she inflicted upon her students on a daily basis.

_"Is it true you singled out a group of students, isolated them in the gymnasium, and threatened to have them tortured by your private investigator, a Mr. Tinker Brown? And did you, or did you not, have Tinker Brown wield these weapons in a menacing fashion at this group of students?"_

"Yes and yes!"

"Grumble... Oh My God... Is she for real?...Holy Hells Bells!...Shssh!...Giggle." (From the courtroom onlookers)

_"Tell me Ms. Sylvester, how, in any realm of public education would such a scenario be deemed appropriate behavior for a teacher to inflict upon a student?"_

"They weren't scared, they weren't even intimidated. Streisand laughed in my face and told me my use of props displayed excellent showmanship. Moments later the whole glee club performed an impromptu mash-up of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'We are the Champions.' Half of the school cut class to sneak into the gym, by which, at the end of that astounding performance, the glee club was treated with a standing ovation, whistles, stomping feet and boundless cheers. What you are referring to as _inappropriate_ was an unscheduled school assembly that the students remember fondly to this day."

_"Did you instruct students to assault other students with Slushie Facials?"_

Sue sat back in the chair of the witness stand and crossed her golden clad legs. She decided to wear her Gold Adidas today, in honor of the Wee Midget she was defending. No one else in the courtroom knew it yet, but she was on the War Path! _Parker is such an arrogant ass._ Sue reflected for a moment. _He has no idea what he has so brilliantly set himself up for. Well, now that I've warmed him up, given him what he wants, I can go ahead and blow his head off._

_"Ahem...Ms. Sylvester, we're waiting for your answer, please remember that you are under oath." _That blonde girl, who was seated next to Rachel Berry, giggled again. _What is her problem?_

Sue flexed an eyebrow at the insufferable buffoon, she sat up straight and began to speak.

"Have you ever seen a predator hunt? Or a pack of predators, say like a pride of lions?"

Parker shrugged his shoulders, he decided to continue to humor Sue Sylvester's CraZy. _"Yes, I watch the Animal Planet with my children on occasion."_

Sue nodded her head in approval and continued with her line of thought.

"They hide among the tall grass and crouch upon the sand, scanning the herd, searching for the weak or injured. Somehow, they manage to communicate with one another, which among the hundreds of grazing gazelles is their target. Then, all at once, they strike. What does the rest of the herd do while this weak member is being slaughtered?

They're running for their lives!

Welcome to McKinley High School, because that's exactly what happens to the weak members of this uniquely pathetic herd of student gazelles. The lions travel in prides, they single out the weak and helpless, and they take them down.

My sole purpose for ordering Slushies was to disperse the attacks among a larger portion of the student body. In a community as small as this, names like Everson, and Fabray, and Karovsky, and Lopez, carry a lot of power and influence. These parents are members of the School Board, they're powerful attorney's and doctors, and they belong to the Church. A Church which funds and supports many of the extra curricular activities. They also have children who happen to be the most popular students, while simultaneously being the biggest 'bullies' in the school. These influential parents have tremendous sway over the School Board, who in turn, comes down _hard_ on the Administration. And as much as you may not like what I am saying Mr. Parker you know this to be true.

The Teaching Staff is sandwiched between the students and the Administration. If a student like, Mickey Everson, for example, is accused by a teacher of wrong doing, who do you think the Administration will fall behind when expected to make a decision regarding dicipline? Again and again, I've watched this power struggle play out, and it's always the teachers who end up eating the dirt. So, guess what happens Mr. Parker? The teachers turn their backs and pretend not see, because if they _do see_ they know that nothing will be done to correct the behavior. Generation after generation of rotten priveliged brats have had the run of this school and it's become tradition.

I chose the meanest, most influential brats and started to direct them. I never ordered them to Slushie any single individual more than once. I spread the joy around so everyone could suffer, instead of just a few... I was hoping to put some backbone into them, hoping they might fight back. But alas, that never happened...not until much later.

Had I not intervened, there are certain students who would have gotten Slushie Facials and dumpster tosses on a daily basis from these same popular 'bullies.' That still happened, somewhat, but not nearly as much if I hadn't re-directed some of the tormentors. The school has a very strict no bullying policy, and yet, how many times in the past five years has this policy been enforced? I'll tell you Mr. Parker. None. Zero, Zippo, Zilch.

My intervention spared some of the weakest, loneliest, lowlifes, a greater wrath they would have surely been treated to. My biggest mistake was not noticing that one of my very own Cheerios was among the worst of the offenders.

Your client, Ms. Stephanie Hanson, was doing exactly as I just described. She was fanatically targeting Cindy Bingham and Giles Deroche. My squad Captain was lost in Narnia making moon eyes at her Hobbit from the Shire. None of my other girls reported Stephanie's actions because they were too terrified of her retaliation. In a 'nut shell' Mr. Parker, Stephanie Hanson fell through the cracks, and by the time I was made aware of how awful she really was, it was already too late for Cindy and Giles.

Guess what happened next Mr. Parker?"

Trevor Parker shrugged his shoulders indifferently. He was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the tone of Sue Sylvester's testimony and her sudden focus on Stephanie. However, that anonymous film established Stephanie's blatant harassment of those two students, it had already been shown to the Jury so it couldn't really hurt to allow Sylvester to talk about it. She hadn't said anything too damaging yet, but he would shut her down if she went too far off the course of his question. He nodded for Sue to continue her explanation.

"The Color Coder of Cheerios, The Skunker, The Bard of Bad Poetry, The Tricky Trickster, The Stealer of Pens, The Bagger of Bloggers, The Heartless Hacker, The Mutant Messenger, The Master of Mayhem...call him whatever you want... a Vengeance seeking Vigilante if you will. But this PrankMaster evened the playing field at McKinley High School. I was a victim of some of his pranks and I will still tell you, Mr Parker, that I am very pleased with his work.

This so called Jokester accomplished what none of the adults or community leaders was willing or able to do. He dished out a little home grown Justice to those who would never be judged. If I could, I would give this PrankMaster some kind of award. I haven't figured out what the award would be yet, but I am damned well working on it. Any other questions Mr. Parker?"

...

_(Sue Sylvester)_

Sue was having a blast. This testifying stuff was easy. It's not hard. Hard is hiking twelve miles in the scorching desert, only to be trapped in a bunker with no water or food, and bumping into the humps of five stinking, pooping, peeing, cud spitting camels. That's hard!

Hell, this Parker guy was such a moron. I wonder where he got his law degree? Probably a Cracker Jack Box, because Holy Mother of God was he a dolt.

_"You do realize you are still under oath Ms. Sylvester?" _ Trevor Parker was becoming a little concerned because the Coach was smirking with a private thought of some sort, her expression left him feeling as though he was being set up for something.

"Of course."

_"Ms. Sylvester, since you brought up the subject of this so called, 'PrankMaster,' why did you not immediately call the Police when you discovered five students restrained in wheelchairs in the basement of the School?"_

"It was Halloween, I assumed it was a prank, which in fact, it was."

_"Is it not true that during your interview of these five students, each and every one of them insisted they had been given a sedative, strapped against their will into wheelchairs, and forced to watch a video by which they were subsequently blackmailed with?"_

"Exactly."

_"And yet, you_ _still_ _did not call the Police?"_

"No."

_"Why not?"_

"Each and every one of these five students said they would deny being drugged, or kidnapped, if I did. They were terrified of that video getting out, and understandably so. Have you seen the film Mr. Parker? Not the nicest kids in the school wouldn't you say?"

_"That is neither here nor there Ms. Sylvester, it was your duty as a Teacher, by law, I might add, to report this incident to the proper authorities, and yet you did nothing."_

"That's not true Mr. Parker, I hired an investigator. Also, tell me what you think the Police would have done? It was Halloween. The students were at a dance, they were dressed as Ogres and Witches. Right after they told me they were kidnapped, drugged, and blackmailed they denied it ever happened. So, even if it was my duty to call the Police, these kids made it pretty clear they'd make me look like a fool? I still could have done so, but then the Police would have had that video to peruse, wouldn't they? Those same five students, who had been drugged, kidnapped, and blackmailed, would also be in very big trouble wouldn't they?

Assault and battery, harassment, stalking, not to mention the fact that the Prankster would have published it on a National level, just as he had threatened. I chose to deal with the incident internally. And I did, in fact, report this matter to the School Board and Mr. Figgins the acting Principal. If you are looking for a Patsy, go see Harley Everson."

Sue Sylvester stiffened her posture, she focused her steely blue gaze on Mr. Trevor Parker and took off her figurative gloves, she flung them at the floor visualizing a metaphorical gauntlet.

"Are you ever going to ask me something important Mr. Parker? Or, are you going to continue referring to my resume and accomplishments? Because, the way I see it you're just blowing smoke to cover up the real issue.

Your client, is an insanely violent predator. She is disturbed beyond any help in this known Universe. You pretend as though you are selflessly battling for her freedom by exposing the _true villains_ who corrupted her delicate and fragile psyche. Bah Humbug! I say. What you really want is to breathe new life into the rotted, stinking, festering carcass of your careening calamitous career, all the while gathering some noteworthy headlin...-"

"Your Honor I object! The witness is pontificating. She is not a Psychiatrist, nor does she have the credentials to diagnose or even speculate as to the mental health of my client. I have not addressed her with an additional question yet she continues to...-"

His Honorable Judge, Francis Destrampe, for the first time during Sue Sylvester's testimony, was called upon to make a ruling. He was very Judge like in his manner. He was quite distinguished looking with his black robe, his silvery hair, and unblinking, somewhat owlish expression.

"Mr. Parker, you opened the door to this type of question and answer format. This is your own witness, surely you knew what her opinions would consist of. You've allowed her to speak her mind throughout this whole testimony, why now are you objecting to her rambles? I'm inclined to allow her to finish her thought. You can appeal the matter later if you so wish. Please continue Ms. Sylvester."

Sue pounded her fist upon the gate in front of the witness stand. She smiled her approval at his Honorable Judge, Francis Destrampe, before continuing to finish her, 'thought.'

"You think, Mr. Trevor Parker, if you paint the students and staff at McKinley High School with a black enough brush, that Stephanie Hanson won't appear to be the MONSTER she truly is. You're trying to make it seem that her horrific attempt on Rachel Berry's life is on the same level with the recent pranks at school. But you couldn't be more wrong, or misguided. Your attempt to manipulate this Jury is transparent and borderline evil.

Did you even watch the tape of Stephanie's capture Mr. Parker? That girl needs a lifetime of therapy, she needs to be kept away from the general public, and before you ask me what my credentials are, I believe I've already proven that I know CraZy. Isn't that why you've allowed me to rant thus far?

You've allowed me the freedom to hang myself with a big long rope haven't you Mr. Parker? Knowing that this Jury will look at me, listen to me, and by God, they will think: this lady is a total loon. Well, I'm here to tell you Mr. Parker, and ladies and gentlemen of the Jury,..."

Sue paused for a moment to make eye contact with every single member of the Jury panel.

"... that my brand of CraZy is a Hot Fudge Sunday in comparison to what that girl would do if she ever got loose in a community again.

And, incidentally, Mr. Parker, if she ever does get out...just so you know, _you'll _be at the top of her list. Believe me I know a list maker when I see one, and Stephanie Hanson is a list maker. You had the arrogance to play with her plea bargain and you manipulated her parents into going forward with this trial. You won't see it coming but you'll be dead when it's over Mr. Parker. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'll make sure to send your wife and kids a sympathy card. Mark my words Mr. Parker, should your appeal for Ms. Hanson's freedom succeed - you would be wise to get your affairs in order."

The whole of the court room was stunned by Sue Sylvester's final declaration. The gaping stares were split between Mr. Parker (who had been pacing back and forth in front of Sue) and Stephanie, who was sitting up a little straighter in her chair. Throughout the whole proceeding the girl seemed to be spacing out, completely uninterested in what was being said.

Until now.

Mr. Trevor Parker's face had turned pale white, he looked as though he was about to faint, because when he glanced at his client to gage what her reaction might be, she was wearing a miniscule grin. A grin that could curl one's toes. A grin that could curl the toes of Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger and freakin' Charles Manson.

Oh my God!

**To Be Continued.**

_**UPDATE: This story is on a temporary Hiatus. **_

_**Thank you very much to those of you who have continued to review and support this story. I realized the other day that I have been at this one story for almost a year. Ugh! I decided the best way to finish it is to focus on the rest as one big chapter. So, it will probably take a while but I promise to put it up when I am finished.**_

_**Thanks again.**_


	38. Satisfaction

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

…_._

_Okay so…The Hiatus is over. I know I promised to upload the rest of the story all at once, but I'm still not finished with it and I've been receiving PM's requesting that I update. So, with that in mind, I decided to post this chapter. The following chapter will come very quickly as well. After that, I have a few kinks to work out in the final Scenes of Rachel's Play so it may take longer. _

_I'm easing my way back into this story so this is kind of short._

_This chapter starts out with the conclusion of the 'Schmanson' trial. I've woven a flashback into this first part that mainly addresses Finn's ongoing self absorption, and Mr. Schuester's deplorable behavior to Rachel in the choir room. Also, the set-up for Rachel's Act III, Scene II: ' Hey Teacher ' is revealed. _

_Also, thanks so much to those of you who continued to review, and also, to those of you who PM'd during my absence._

…_.._

_(Previously)_

_"And, incidentally, Mr. Parker, if she ever does get out...just so you know,_ _you'll be at the top of her list. Believe me I know a list maker when I see one, and Stephanie Hanson is a list maker. You had the arrogance to play with her plea bargain and you manipulated her parents into going forward with_ _this trial. You won't see it coming but you'll be dead when it's over Mr. Parker. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'll make sure to send your wife and kids a sympathy card. Mark my words Mr. Parker, should your appeal for Ms. Hanson's freedom succeed - you would be wise to get your affairs in order."_

_The whole of the court room was stunned by Sue Sylvester's final declaration. The gaping stares were split between Mr. Parker (who had been pacing back and forth in front of Sue) and Stephanie, who was sitting up a little straighter in her chair. Throughout the whole proceeding the girl seemed to be spacing out, completely uninterested in what was being said._

_Until now._

_Mr. Trevor Parker's face had turned pale white, he looked as though he was about to faint, because when he glanced at his client to gage what her reaction might be, she was wearing a miniscule grin. A grin that could curl one's toes. A grin that could curl the toes of Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger and freakin' Charles Manson. _

_Oh my God! _

…_.._

**Chapter XXXIX: Satisfaction**

_(The conclusion of Stephanie's trial)_

**Quinn, Santana, Finn and David Karofsky. (Waiting their turn to testify.)**

Quinn and Santana were seated next to one another at the small conference table in the room they had been sequestered in with Finn and David. Both were dressed in their, 'Courtroom Best.' Quinn was wearing a yellow sundress that was patterned intricately with the silhouettes of little blue sparrows swooping and diving about. Santana silently snickered upon seeing the ridiculous dress. Berry was really wearing Quinn down and painstakingly re-shaping the HBIC into a bonafide dweeb. Soon the two of them would be wearing matching butterfly sweaters which sported bright pink bows. Dios mio! If Quinn started wearing white knee highs and Mary Jane's she and Britt would have to invoke a Rule #7, which was the Tribe of Sogima's version of a 'fashion intervention.'

Santana was also spiffed up a bit for her courtroom appearance, but her outfit held no eye bending patterns. Her sleek black dress was rather understated; the only hint of her flair for the more risqué was the moderate, not quite plunging neckline, and a bright red sash encircling her trim waistline. She had her wild dark hair ensnared by a decorative clip; the whole ensemble was tastefully subdued for their day in court. Santana knew this_ real_ courtroom experience would be nothing like the practice sessions that she and Brittany had enjoyed. Oh no. There would be no fantasy games of 'Disorder in the court' today. These proceedings were depressingly intense and serious.

Quinn and Santana were fairly calm in spite of their unique circumstances. Considering that they would both probably lie under oath on the witness stand; if Mr. Parker deviated from the questions he had asked them in their deposition. And they both suspected that he would dig much deeper than he had in that deposition.

The lying part wasn't an issue for either girl; both of them were expert liars. Quinn was well known for fabricating fantastical mistruths in the early days of her high school career. You know, that whole 'Hot Tub' version of her pregnancy being the most notorious, but there had been many other less substantial, but equally creative deceptions.

Santana, of course, was also guilty of telling a tall tale, or two, or three, or fifty. Her whole 'Lima Heights Adjacent' rep was completely farcical, considering she lived in a very posh, modern, suburb and was, basically, a pampered spoiled brat. There was really no need for her to present herself as such a hardcore badass, except for that little issue she had about _coming_ _OUT_. She and Britt had gone through a rough patch the previous year because Santana was terrified of being _'OUT' _in the real world. So, for Santana, behaving like the meanest, toughest bitch in the Universe enabled her to keep people at bay. Keep people out of her business. Keep people fleeing in fear of the razor blades (total fib) she had hidden in her hair.

No, the lying wouldn't be a problem for either girl. Well, it sort of could be, because that asshole Trevor Parker had really done his homework while investigating the School. He was going to question them about _everything_. Everything they had ever done as the HBIC and Second in command. By the time he was finished with the two Cheerios, they would appear to be just as evil (in a certain ugly way) as Stephanie Hanson.

Neither of them really minded if the ugliness of their past behavior was revealed. They had both owned their behavior and were sincerely trying to make amends. What they did mind, however, was how it would effect the outcome of this trial.

How it would affect Rachel.

Because that was the real issue for Quinn and Santana; if Hanson got off because of all the crap that they had done in the past, neither girl was sure that their current relationships would recover from such a blow. And not because Rachel and Brittany wouldn't forgive them; that was already a foregone conclusion because they had already been forgiven.

But, mostly because they didn't know if they could forgive themselves. Deep down in the darkest part of both girls souls, lay that self-hatred, that suffocating and smothering belief that they were undeserving of forgiveness, that they could never truly be loved.

Sigh….

So, Quinn and Santana sat together at that conference table, whispering and wondering what lies would save them today? Hopefully, they would be _good_ lies. Lies about how _truly terrified_ they were; upon waking up after being drugged, only to find themselves strapped in wheelchairs on the eve of that _harrowing_ Halloween.

David was sitting by himself in an armchair by the door. He wasn't nervous at all. In fact, he could hardly wait to testify. He really hoped that Mr. Parker _would_ show the vid the Tricky Trickster had blackmailed them with on Halloween. The former bully _wanted_ everyone to know what a jerk he'd been. And he wanted them to see that he had changed. He would accept the responsibility for his behavior. All of it, and he would make sure the Jury knew he needed to be punished for what he had done to Kurt. Just like Stephanie Hanson needed to be punished for what she had done to Rachel, and Giles, and Cindy.

And then there was Finn.

Finn was pacing about the room, wearing yet another Rugby jersey, muttering under his breath about Mr. Stinkster. He was talking to himself and reliving moments from his recent past. Finn Hudson was psyching himself up for his _very important_ testimony. He was going to tell the whole of the courtroom who the Skunker was! Finally, he would have a captive audience, and _finally_, someone would listen to him!

The boy moron continued to pace, and continued to mumble, all the while rewinding in his mind the sequence of events that would lead him to his moment of _GLORY_. He flexed his eyebrows tightly and squinted his beady eyes as he remembered…

…_Finn decided to_, _finally_, _have a little chat with Mr. Schuester . _

_The two were left alone in the choir room after everyone stormed out. Mr. Schue accused Rachel of being a schemer, and said that he didn't believe that stuff about psycho Stephanie. _

_Well, Finn believed it,_ _totally. Dude!_ _After just two weeks of dating the Sophomore Cheerio he was way over the freaky chick. She almost bit his earlobe off when they were making out in his bedroom, and then she squeezed his…umm…. well, she twisted it so hard (and not in a nice way) that he passed out. When he woke up she was gone, but before she left she'd scrawled a nasty note across his forehead. She'd used a permanent marker and had written…umm… Finn didn't even want to think about what that note had said, except that it was_ _not nice. No. Stephanie Hanson was not nice._

_Finn really thought that Mr. Schuester had acted like a dick, but he still refused to stomp out of the choir room with the rest of the gleeks. He was pissed because Rachel brought that Jeremy kid to brag about his heroics. Finn could also tell that Jeremy really liked Rachel and he hated the idea that someone else (on top of Quinn and Puck) was getting his girlfrien….um…ah…was getting_ _Rachel's attention. Darn!_

_Anyway, Finn had some business of his own with his glee teacher so he'd stayed, anchored to his seat while watching the glee club stomp and huff their way out the door._

_The poor boy was really confused about STUFF. But he wasn't confused about Mr. Stinkster! He was_ _so_ _certain that Mr. Schuester was the Skunker. He'd tried to tell Figgins first, but the weirdo Principal wouldn't even let him finish one sentence. Then, to_ _prove_ _how clever he could be sometimes, and show his leadership abilities, he decided to tell_ _all the Jocks in the lunch room who the Skunker was. But all that accomplished was an unnecessary amount of laughter._

_His unlucky streak continued when he approached Coach Sylvester with his suspicions._

_"Listen very carefully Finncredible Hudson. You are, in all probability, the largest imbecile on the entire planet. You move your mouth and words come out, but all I do is wonder if some type of alien parasite isn't residing inside your body, directing and driving that ungainly frame with a joystick from an early version of Super Mario Brothers. No true human being could rub their very last brain cells together and spew forth such dimwitted drivel. _

_William Schuester can't even tie his own shoelaces! Nor can he determine his right foot from his left! How I ask you, How? How? How do you think he_ _could conceive of even_ _one_ _of the masterful pranks that have been plaguing this institution since the very first day of school? Get out of my office you overgrown oaf! I don't have time for remedial_ _anything_ _today. Be gone I say! Go pay a visit to the Gingerbread Nut. I'm sure she has a pamphlet that addresses the long term issues you must be suffering from your_ _Alien Invasion. Be sure to ask about the residual effects from the aftermath of an anal probe! "_

_"Huh?"_

_The insulting (and kinda confusing ) tongue lashing he got from Coach Sylvester was really bad, but it could hardly compare with what happened next. He still flinched even thinking about his terrifying confrontation with Santana. The frightening Cheerio had been waiting outside the Principal's office for him. _

_"Well, if it isn't Finncapable!_

_Did you Finnish Finnangling your Finntastic, inFinncible, Flight of Finncy? Did you conFinnce the interim Finniggins that Mr. Schuester is the Skunker? _

_Isn't it funny Finnocence? _

_I always thought you were Mr. Schue's pet project and the very first chance you get you're throwing him under the bus. What, for fucks sake, were you thinking Frankenteen? Mr. Schue is a dope, and sort of a selfish jerk, and his taste in music sucks, and he has a horrible…no he doesn't even_ _have_ _a sense of style. However, he is the glee club advisor Finncompetent._

_He's our teacher and you accused him of something that, not only is it impossible for it to be true, but you ratted him out to the school Jocks! To the bullies! And to Coach Sylvester! It couldn't possibly be_ _true and yet you made a dumb fuck, freakishly Finnept speculation based upon emails that the real_ _Skunker sent you. _

_Did you even once consider the idea that you might be being played? The_ _Skunker_ _sent you an email telling you who the Skunker was! Didn't that send up a red flag for you? Didn't you think, hey... um... why would the_ _Skunker_ _tell me who the Skunker was? Didn't you wonder, hmm... why would Mr. Schuester write me an anonymous email telling me that he was the Skunker? _

_Ay Dios Mio_…_Moron!_

_News flash Finnkenstoop: The Skunker_ _isn't Mr. Schuester, but even if he was you should have come to the glee club with your suspicions first! Or, confronted Mr. Schue yourself, instead of running around the whole school stirring up more trouble for all of us. Shut your freakin' mouth about the Skunker, and stop being such a stupid Finncompoop."_

_And with that said, Santana Lopez linked her pinky with that of Brittany Pierce; they eased on down the hall, swinging their hands lazily between them, laughing and smiling while whispering endearments to one another._

_Huh?_

_Santana had made up some new nicknames for him, he thought she probably had a crush on him again because she found all those neat ways to combine his name with big words. Well, he wasn't interested in_ _her_ _at all, (flinch) and even if he_ _was interested in her, (flinch) Brittany would chop his balls off. So, no, he wouldn't go there with the scary Cheerio, but she did give him the idea to have it out with Mr. Stinker._

_So, now, here he was alone with Mr. Schuester and decided it was time to get some fatisaction with the man. Or, satisfiction from him, or, umm…he would just tell him. Yeah! He would let Mr. Schuester know, that he knew, that he was really Skunky. The sulky boy was still perched on the top riser in the corner of the room, watching Mr. Schuester try to recover from the shock of being told to, basically, 'shove it' from his entire glee club._

_His entire glee club, except for Finn; who was about to tell him to 'shove it' in a very different way._

_"I figured it out when you stood up for Rachel and Quinn instead of me Mr. Schue. You know, on the day they made out in front of everybody during glee? And then you let everybody say it was great that they were together. I knew right then that you were up to something Mr. Schue…and…and…I haven't_ _forgotten when you blackmailed me with the medical marijuana. That's your whole Moo isn't Mr. Schuester? Blackmail! "_

_Mr. Schuester spun around in surprise; stunned that Finn was still in the room. He had assumed that everyone_ _had stomped out, and was still in a state of bewilderment, still trying to catch up with what had happened. _

_The somewhat addle brained teacher was rewinding in his mind everything that had been said. Rewinding the tale that Jeremy Miller had told. Will, couldn't quite believe what an_ _idiot_ _he had been! How could he have been so insensitive to Rachel? He knew now. He knew with a certainty that everything Jeremy said was undeniably true. And he had just attacked Rachel…again. He accused her of wanting attention and creating a super drama. He abused his role as a teacher and bullied his own student; after she had already suffered an impossible ordeal. How could he? _

_Tears were streaming down his cheeks as the full horror of what he had done settled upon him, within him._

_How could he ever fix this? Oh God!_

_Finn, completely misunderstanding the reason for Mr. Schuester's tears, proceeded to bombard his teacher with juvenile snark._

_"Aren't you going to say anything Mr. Schue? Or should I call you, 'Skunky?'_ _Or, 'Mr. Skunker ?' Or, how_ _about… 'Mr. Stinkster?' " Finn snickered at that last one, it really was his favorite._

_"Finn…" _

_Mr. Schuester finally addressed the star Quarterback of the lousiest team in the history of McKinley High School. _

_"We need to make this right with Rachel and the rest of the glee club. We need to let her know that she has our full support and that we are sorry for what happened here today. And, also that we are sorry for what we've allowed to occur in this room in the past."_

_"Huh?" _

Finn was broken out of his reverie when the door to the conference room burst open revealing a very excited DeputyMinnieSparkle. She was decked out in her dress uniform, looking particularly 'cute' (in Santana's opinion) but somewhat flustered.

"Come!" She shouted at the group of teens, all the while frantically gesturing with her hand for them to exit the room.

"Something's happened and you won't be needing to testify. If we hurry we'll be able to make it into the courtroom before Judge Destrampe makes his ruling."

DeputyMinnieSparkle shuffled them into the courtroom, she left David and Finn in the back by the doors, but guided Santana and Quinn up to the front. Somehow, she managed to convince the spectators seated behind Brittany and Rachel to _vamoose_. She deposited Santana and Quinn into the now empty seats, grinned wildly at them, winked at Brittany and Rachel (who both giggled) and left them all to enjoy this moment together.

A moment later the Honorable Judge, Francis Destrampe, entered the courtroom.

"Everyone rise." Was shouted by the bailiff. Everyone _rose,_ but the whole of the gallery was astir. Whispers, and mumbles could be heard, the feeling in the room was electric, something really exciting was about to happen.

The Honorable Judge, Francis Destrampe, took his seat, pounded his gavel, and proceeded to make his ruling. He didn't even bother to wait for the courtroom onlookers to be seated. This whole ridiculous trial had been a waste of the taxpayers dollars. But more infuriatingly; it had caused that beautiful little brown eyed girl more distress than anyone deserved to go through.

"In the matter of: The State of Ohio, District Court 17 vs. Ms. Stephanie Hanson, the Prosecution and the Counsel for the defense have come to a plea agreement. These proceedings are over, the witnesses are dismissed. The defendant is hereby placed in the custody of the State of Ohio. A Formal Hearing by which the defendant will Allocute to all charges will be set for one week from today, Wednesday, December 27, 10:00 a.m."

Blam! His Honorable Judge, Francis Destrampe, pounded his gavel.

"This court is adjourned."

Whoa!

And just like that it was over.

After Sue Sylvester's final words of testimony, and after the whole court room got a glimpse of psycho Stephanie's creepy little grin, Mr. Trevor Parker requested (begged for) a sidebar with the Judge and the Prosecutor. They withdrew from the court for and hour, in which Stephanie and her parents were also led away. When they returned the Judge made his announcement.

Stephanie was going away to prison, or technically, the Funny Farm for the violently criminally insane.

"Yay!" "Whew!" "Oh My God!" "La perra loca tiene lo que se merece!"

…..

(Wednesday evening, after the trial)

**Rachel, Quinn, Santana and Brittany.**

Rachel and _her girls_ were staying up late to celebrate the incarceration of one Stephanie 'Looney Tunes' Hanson.

Rachel had Coach Sylvester to thank for her current state of peace and calm. Sue Sylvester had single handedly taken that _slimy Mr. Parker_ down. She could hardly believe how ingenious Sue's testimony had been. Not only had she masterfully played Stephanie's lawyer, but she accomplished that incredible task by telling the truth; _the whole truth and nothing but the truth!_ Sue's entire testimony had been brutally honest. Even that final bit describing the imminent demise of Trevor Parker if Stephanie was ever set free.

_Wow!_ Had run through Rachel's mind for the better part of the afternoon, and she had continued with that line of thought into the evening.

Wow!

And also _Hmmm?_

_Hmmm?… ?….as in, now what am I going to do? I had Act III, Scene II: 'Hey Teacher' scheduled to run tomorrow but now I don't know if I want to go through with it_. The tiny diva was talking herself through the details of this Scene and feeling a bit guilty about it. After Sue's testimony she decided it might not be fair to go after the teachers so aggressively like she intended. Sue had shed some light on the obstacles the teaching staff went up against in relation to the Administration and the School Board. Now she started to feel that she should be pranking those School Board members instead. But to do that she would have to take her Play off campus, and that was the type of risk she didn't think she should involve herself in.

No, she would stick with her original Scene, but just modify the voiceover section. They would still deliver the _'gifts'_ this evening. Most of the teaching staff still needed a ' _heads up_ ' or more clearly a '_pay attention_.' The teachers needed to know that they were letting their students down.

Rachel's _Cast_, with the exclusion of Quinn, Brittany and Santana were also staying up late on this Wednesday evening. But they were not celebrating the outcome of Stephanie Hanson's trial. They were at the High School at 2:00 am, delivering very _thoughtful_ 'gifts' to the classrooms of certain members of the faculty.

Puck had volunteered to lead this evening's Op, and Rachel had agreed with _almost_ no reservation. She thought it would do him good to put the _near folly _of the swim meet behind him. It would also give Sam and Mike an opportunity to redeem themselves from their over exuberant performance with Mr. Wiggly.

Ultimately, Puck, Sam, Mike, Artie, Kurt, Tina, Lauren and Mercedes headed to the school in Peter's borrowed van, while Rachel, Quinn, Santana and Brittany cuddled up together in Rachel's bedroom and came undone together.

Rachel was grateful that Brittany was present to translate for her.

Moments after the four girls settled onto Rachel's bed to have their 'Pow Wow,' Quinn erupted into a puddle of tears with Santana falling apart less than a moment later.

Rachel sat with her mouth hanging open and her eyebrows crunched together in confusion.

"It's okay Rachel," Brittany explained while at the same time she stroked Santana's back with soothing fingers.

Quinn had crumpled into a ball on Rachel's lap.

"They just need to let their grief out. They didn't think we would win so they told themselves a bunch of dumb stuff in their heads. That dumb stuff in their heads usually leads to dumb stuff on the streets and they haven't figured out why they didn't fall into a hole this time."

Brittany winked at Rachel, bobbed her head dramatically, and mouthed the words: 'Void in the Balance' at her.

Rachel smiled her agreement, returned Brittany's wink and proceeded to soothe her hysterical girlfriend with gentle kisses and soft caresses.

some little time later…

Santana and Brittany had re-located to the floor with Rachel's star quilt and half of the pillows from the bed. The two couples were _finally_ _celebrating_ the days fortuitous outcome.

"Ay Dios Mio!" Santana complained. Me and Britt are heading over to the guest room, Berry. We can't get our mack on with you and Quinn making all those disgusting noises!

(snort!…giggle)

**To be continued…**

"La perra loca tiene lo que se merece!" (The crazy bitch got what she deserves!)

_Next chapter: Act III, Scene II: 'Hey Teacher' of Rachel's play. Also, Nate Minetti and the swim team plan their retaliation. Plus, lots of Faberry in the next chapter. _

_Thanks again to all of you who have had the patience to read this long story, and also to those of you who will, hopefully, continue to follow along._


	39. Brick

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

…_._

_This chapter covers a lot of territory. Rachel's Act III, Scene II: "Hey Teacher," is played out. I didn't aim for humor so much in this Scene. In fact, it's a bit more serious, but not dramatically so, and there are some playful moments to balance everything out. _

_For those of you who have never seen, 'Firefly,' or the movie 'Serenity,' I'll apologize now for the crazy references. You'll just have to trudge through that part of the chapter. Sam's obsession with sci fi (mine too) hi-jacked the latter part of this chapter. _

_Also, major smut at the very end. Fair warning._

_(Sorry if this is a choppy read, I'll be cleaning it up, but I wanted to give you guys an update this weekend as next week is very busy for me.)_

…_.._

**Chapter XXXX: Brick**

**Thursday, Dec 21. The day after Sue Sylvester's testimony, and two days before the Holiday break.**

_(2nd hour, Giles and Cindy.)_

"It has to be next Friday. Berry is having her birthday party this Friday, I heard that fag, Hummel, squealing about it to Jones by his locker this morning. Next Friday will do just fine. That'll give us time to make sure we got every detail smoothed out. Pierce and Berry show up every Friday around five o'clock according to Jenna's little sister, Kristie. They sit in a booth and each inhale a cup, then they get some to go. I say we mix it in with their frozen treat. Kristie is on her own at the shop so she can just close up for fifteen minutes until we haul 'em out back. We'll bring 'em to Brian's, or...his Grammy's place. She's gone to Florida during the Winter and he's in charge of watching her house."

Mumbles and grunts of approval could be heard on the other side of the wall, indicating to Giles and Cindy that at least three or four other swim team members were agreeing to the proposed scheme.

Giles and Cindy were clasping on to each other for dear life. They'd been _avoiding_ Dodge Ball again, during second hour gym class on Thursday morning. Spying, as Santana had requested. They were positioned under the air vent in the old equipment room, just as they had been last time, when they heard Nate Minetti's hateful plan.

Giles started to breath heavily with panic, his crystal blue eyes were filled with fear and glossy unshed tears. Cindy gently placed her fingers across his lips, whispered a very quiet, 'Shsssh' and leaned over to kiss him tenderly upon the forehead. The boy was so incredibly sweet. She could hardly believe how lucky she had been to meet such a thoughtful sensitive boy. Boys had always intimidated and frightened her until she met Giles. She smiled warmly into his endlessly blue eyes, nodded her head in assurance, to silently tell him that this was good; this was exactly what they were supposed to be doing. This information would stop the swim team from hurting the glee club; it would stop them from hurting Brittany or Rache…-

"I don't want Kristie involved in this Nate! _**I already told you that dammit." **_

Jenna Doran entered the conversation and she was not happy with her boyfriend's sinister idea. Her voiced raised to almost a shout with the last part of her refusal, but then she realized it probably wasn't a good idea to be screaming out loud about the treachery they were discussing and started to _whisper-shout_ instead.

"_This is not going to happen at the Yogurt Palace, Nate, and that's final!'_

The freshmen spies continued to listen, straining to hear the now whispered conversation on the other side of the equipment room wall, unaware that they were both standing on _tippy_ toes in an effort to inch themselves closer to that little air duct just a few feet above their heads.

"Stop being such a baby Jenna. Kristie won't even know what's going on. We'll just tell her we're playing a little prank to get the glee club back for what happened at the swim meet. You can talk to her while I fix up the yogurt for Pierce and Berry. All she'll have to do is serve it to them and lock the door. If she doesn't know what's in those cups when she delivers it to them, it's not going to be her fault. I promise Jen, I'd never put your little sis at risk. You know I love her almost as much as you babe!

"Someone will see us Nate!" Jenna objected.

"Nu..uh.., we'll be in the back - in the kitchen Jen, and we'll park the mini-van behind the building… it's a foolproof plan. You know what the beauty of this is Jen? Those two won't be able to remember a thing, not with the amount of ju ju I'll be spiking their icy treats with. Once they wake up, though… that will be a different story altogether."

At that point Nate Minetti chuckled, sending chills up the spines of both Cindy and Giles. Their big blue eyes were wide with shock at the malice emanating from such a small sound.

"You don't have to be there either Jenna…" Nate explained to his gullible girlfriend.

"… all you gotta do is drive them to Brian's, well, to his Grammy's place and then you can leave. They won't see you, or Kristie, at any time so if something goes wrong you'll be outta the loop." He paused for a moment, to allow his girlfriend a moment to digest the information.

Big (exasperated) Sigh….

"Fine!" was declared from the weight room as Jenna Doran, once again, surrendered to her boyfriend's evil demands.

Nate muttered one last thing before the bell which ended the second period rang.

"Thanks baby, I knew you would come around… you always do."

Ten minutes later, Cindy and Giles were late for Biology class again. Instead of going to class they made a mad dash for the Cheerio's locker room. On Thursdays during 3rd hour, unlike _laundry room_ Tuesdays, Santana and Brittany pretended to study.

…

**Act III, Scene II: Hey Teacher**

The Tenure war was officially on.

Sue Sylvester made the announcement earlier that week at a staff meeting. One tenured position would be granted to those qualified teachers or staff members at the end of this first semester - meaning at the end of this week. Mr. Carlson's health problems had finally forced him to retire at mid-year. This unexpected departure effectively turned the room full of teachers (whom, for the most part, got on exceptionally well) into backstabbing, manipulative, conniving adversaries.

_Ah, the spirit of competition_. Sue loved being the interim Principal. She knew Figgins would be back at the end of January and didn't really want his job on a permanent basis. She did, however, enjoy the power trip his absence provided. Especially because the position enabled her to tighten the swirl in Willfro's twirly curls - figuratively speaking, of course.

Rachel Berry's bogus suggestion to allow the students to vote for whom they thought was the most effective educator, went over like a lead balloon amongst the teaching staff.

That little upstart showed up at the School Board Meeting (uninvited) and bamboozled the unsuspecting members with her wit, charm, and a very creative powerpoint presentation. Sue had no idea the Midget was capable of making a presentation that wouldn't annoy the pants off of the most tolerant of sloths. Ah, well, the damage was done. The School Board agreed that ten percent of their decision would be determined by a student vote.

This _vote_ would take place during 7th hour today in the auditorium, by silent ballot, so no undue influence (bribery) could be used to coerce the students decisions.

What the teaching staff didn't know (but Rachel did) is that the tenure decision had already been decided.

Sue Sylvester was notified of the School Board's decision shortly after Mr. Carlson's letter of resignation. During a late night reconnaissance mission at the school, Rachel perused the official document after snooping through the drawers of Coach Sylvester's desk.

Rachel's ploy with the School Board had been just that. A ploy. She knew the School Board would accept her proposal because she knew they had already decided who would be tenured. Therefore, it did no harm to allow the students to have their little vote.

With that in mind, Rachel's Act III, Scene II: 'Hey Teacher,' kicked off first thing Thursday morning, when the teachers arrived in their classrooms to receive an unexpected surprise.

_**Will Schuester, Shannon Beiste, Emma Pillsbury and Sue Sylvester.**_

_(Lunch time in the teacher's Lounge)_

"What did your BRICK say, Will?" Coach Beiste asked her friend who was poking a fork at his pasta prima vera with little enthusiasm. The football Coach was inhaling a roasted chicken, chewing ravenously and speaking with her mouth full; she was completely uninhibited by anything resembling decent manners while devouring her lunch.

Will was somewhat aghast at Shannon's lack of table etiquette, but he was more distracted by the uncomfortable question she had posed.

"WET NOODLE." Will answered and blushed furiously at the insulting, yet, he had to admit, accurate description. He stared at Shannon, unwilling to hang his head in shame, knowing she would understand how he was feeling.

All of the teachers and some of the help staff were _gifted _with BRICKS. Large red rectangular cement bricks. The bricks were engraved with a word or phrase that aptly described each teachers most outstanding attribute. The unsuspecting educators arrived in their classrooms that morning to find the 'gifts' centered on their desks; each brick was neatly wrapped with colorful paper and trimmed with a bright pink bow.

Will cleared his throat, smiled crookedly at Shannon, and repeated her question. Turn about is fair play after all. "What did your BRICK say?"

"LOUD MOUTH." The Coach declared with enthusiasm, then burst into raucous laughter at Will's goggle eyed expression. "You have to agree, it's true Will." She continued to laugh and slapped her friend on the back, causing him to cough and choke with the forceful impact.

At that moment Emma Pillsbury glided into the teachers lounge toting her sack of tupperware containers, which served the purpose of keeping her food items from bumping into one another. Never mind that they would all be mixed up in her stomach, they were not allowed to bump into one another before hand. That meant the grapes could not commune with apple slices, nor could the tuna for her salad actually reside in her salad. It was all too confusing for Coach Beiste, who was endearingly amused by the little red head's strange quirks. She smiled at the self-conscious guidance counselor and invited her to join them while Will was trying to pull the air back into his lungs.

"Join us Emma." Shannon was waving, gesturing wildly for Ms. Pillsbury to take a seat near her befuddled boyfriend.

Will finally caught his breath, smiled at his fiance, and proceeded to ask Emma the same question. "What did your BRICK say Emma?" He could hardly wait to hear what was inscribed on the guidance counselor's brick. Probably something along the lines of, 'NEUROTIC' or, 'CLUELESS' or, 'WALLFLOWER' or...-

"I didn't get a brick." Emma answered softly while pulling on her cellophane gloves.

"_WHAT?_" Will and Shannon exclaimed in unison. Everyone got a brick. Or, all the other teaching staff that they had spoken to had.

"I was given flowers. Quite an eclectic combination I might add. But the notes that accompanied them detailed the meaning behind each bloom so I would understand the reasons behind the strange assortment." Ms. Pillsbury nodded at the two before popping a juicy green grape into her mouth.

"But…bb..but.. everyone else got a _brick,_ Emma...why didn't you?" Will asked, feeling a bit put out that the PrankMaster had given his girlfriend flowers instead of a heavy handed insult.

"I should think it would be quite obvious Will."

"What's obvious?" Both he and Shannon asked simultaneously, still completely flummoxed.

"The bricks are metaphors." Emma explained, she was so matter of fact about the whole thing, nibbling a slice of apple while peering at the two of them with a look that was definitely owlish. Her eyes were huge, unblinking, and filled with incredulity. _It wasn't that hard to figure out. Did they need to be hit on the head with their bricks before they got the joke?_

" 'All in all you're just another _brick_ in the wall.' "

Emma very drolly quoted Pink Floyd at the two before grabbing another tupperware container out of her sack. She opened the lid and sniffed its contents, making sure the seal insured the freshness therein. Smiling, she pulled a plastic fork out of her bag, removed its wrapper and plucked a piece of crispy lettuce from the container. She bobbed her head encouragingly at Shannon and Will, who were finally comprehending the meaning behind the 'metaphor.'

"So...wait a minute here..." Will sputtered, "We all got bricks with disparagements on them, which means that the Skunker thinks we're just...just...well, not very important. Or, not very effective as teachers?"

Emma nodded. Will could see a slight curling of her lips and realized she was enjoying this little prank tremendously. After all, she didn't get a _BRICK_! No, sweet and innocent Emma got flowers and fancy footnotes. Will huffed while Shannon started to laugh again.

"Oh Will...snort...giggle. You aren't taking this seriously are you? You're all upset because some practical joker called you a WET NOODLE and gave Emma flowers? Snort...peals of laughter."

"WET NOODLE?" Emma's lips twitched as she regarded her boyfriend's surly expression.

At that moment Sue Sylvester waltzed into the teachers lounge snickering. "I didn't get a _BRICK_ either William." She was wearing the white Adidas today, with red accents. On her left chest was a badge, like what a Sheriff would wear in the old west. It was cast in metal of some sort but the patina was golden and shined brightly like the star shape it represented.

"I got a badge of honor." Sue bragged while pointing at the decoration on her chest and flashing a cynical smile at the crestfallen glee advisor. She cocked her thumb, pointed her index finger at William Schuester, then pulled an invisible trigger.

"POW!"

Blowing invisible smoke from the barrel of the make believe six shooter, Sue Sylvester swaggered back out of the lunch room, cackling as she departed, her Sheriff's duties complete.

...

**Auditorium: Seventh hour, the student vote for the most effective teacher.**

The huge space within the auditorium was unusually quiet, especially since it was occupied by the whole of the student body. Sue Sylvester, standing on the left side of the stage, was shuffling some papers around the lectern preparing to make the announcement as to how the vote would be achieved. She turned her microphone on; it made that high screechy sound that usually accompanied the ancient piece of hardware. After the students uncovered their ears Sue began to explain the voting process.

"You were all given a ballot on your way into the auditorium. You may select up to three names on the ballot but no more. If you so choose, you may also select only one name, or two, but remember: no more than three. Any ballots that have more than three names selected will be rejected. Check the box beside the name, or names of the teachers or staff members you believe to be most effective in their endeavors to educate you. Once the ballots are tallied the results will be revealed tomorrow afternoon before your Holiday break. The teacher, or staff member that receives the most votes will have the student body endorsement when the School Board makes their decision regarding the open Tenure position. Now I would like you all…-"

But before Sue could finish her sentence the microphone made that shrieking sound again, and then it died.

Suddenly, a different voice was filling the auditorium.

A voice that was soft and tremulous, but held a shy assertiveness, floated out of the massive speakers to penetrate every corner of the auditorium.

The voice of Emma Pillsbury.

_"I understand your frustration Mr. Simmons, I really do, however; blaming Madeline Frasure is unprofessional. Her students have higher test scores because she prepares them properly. She shows them how to study for their exams, she doesn't set them up for failure, nor does she allow them to cheat. You are both following the same curriculum, perhaps if you asked Madeline to share her methods your students could achieve similar levels._"

and...

_"You need to stop picking sides Will. One week you're agreeing with half of your club. You cave in to their demands, and then the following week you do the same with the other half. They're still just kids, Will. They_ _ALL_ _need you to stand up for them… consistently. You can't allow them to turn on one another when that glee club is the only safe place they have in the entire school."_

and...

_"It's important to monitor the corridors while the students are changing classes, Howard. That is when the largest incidence of harassment occurs. I've set up a flow chart; it shows the corridor outside your classroom, as well as Martin Betson and Gina Reeves, has a higher rate of abuse than any other hallway in the school. I've spoken with all three of you on this matter several times, and still, the students are being harassed and bullied in that corridor. Please, Howard, for the sake of the students, especially the freshmen and sophomores, step into the hallway between classes and show those kids you care about them."_

and...

_"Perhaps if you lowered your voice Shannon. I believe the students think you are shouting at them when really you are just a loud talker. They will still be able to hear you, Shannon, if you lowered your tone a bit. Let them see that big heart once in awhile; I think you'd be surprised how such a simple change will alter their perception of you."_

The recording continued for several minutes. Emma Pillsbury, apparently had a rotating door in her office which supplied her with an endless stream of whining teachers and staff members. She quietly offered her opinion, or suggested (very politely) how improvements could be accomplished.

The kids in the auditorium quietly listened to their guidance counselor 'guide' nearly every adult member of this High School community into making better choices. What the students didn't hear, however, were the responses the staff members made to some of Emma's suggestions. That was the part of the voiceover that Rachel edited out. Some of those replies were not very generous. Some of them were even hostile, but Rachel didn't want those comments to be heard.

She thought the point could be made by simply allowing them to hear Ms. Pillsbury; one of the few adults in this school who never faltered in her goal of creating an environment that was healthy and nurturing for students to thrive in. Everyone knew Ms. Pillsbury as an eccentric, somewhat quirky neat freak, and she was often made fun of. Now, however, everyone would know that Ms. Pillsbury did her job.

A moment later a shortened, dubbed over version of Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' was blasting through the speakers.

_We_ '_do'_ _need an education._

_We don't need no thought control._

_No dark sarcasm in the classroom._

_Hey! Teachers! 'Don't' leave us kids alone._

_Or, all you'll be is just another brick in the wall._

_Or, all you'll be is just another brick in the wall._

Fade to silence. (_The lead vocalist sounded suspiciously like Noah Puckerman.)_

When the music faded out the students were left gaping at one another, wearing multi-varied versions of 'what the fuck?' expressions on their faces.

Coach Sylvester pummeled the dysfunctional microphone throughout the seven minutes, or so, that the students were quietly listening to the voice of Emma Pillsbury. And also, through the shortened, amended version, in the second verse of, 'The Wall.'

Sue made a show of huffing and puffing and muttering threats, which she combined with a credible performance of 'the absent minded professor.' All in an effort to _not_ interfere with the Master of Mayhem's latest prank. She was, after all, still proudly wearing her Sheriff's badge.

Once the recording was finished playing Sue shouted out her final instructions.

**"Mark your ballots and put them in the box by the exit as you leave. You'll leave by rows. Back row first as soon as everyone has finished voting!… **

…**hold it right their Mickey Everson, just where in the seven levels of Purgatory do you think you're running off to? And, what did I tell you about running in this school? I told you I'd own you for a week didn't I?** _**Congratulations Mr. Everson! You'll be celebrating your Holiday break running for me!…" **_

And, just like that, the strange, yet somehow inspirational spell was shattered by Sue Sylvester's _Hot Fudge Sunday version_ of, 'cray, cray.'

...

**Friday, December 22nd**

There was one piece of noteworthy news to be reported on that last day before the Holiday break: Ms. Emma Pillsbury had won the student endorsement for the Tenure Position by a landslide.

**Rachel's Birthday Party (No Power in the 'Verse.)**

Rachel was in a state of semi-shock.

For two reasons:

1) Quinn was wearing _very_ tight, form fitting trousers that were tucked into knee high leather boots. The enticing _slacks _were held up by a sturdy pair of leather suspenders. The mens shirt she was wearing was a deep burgundy color, it was buttoned neatly up the front but the cuffs were rolled up to her elbows. On her hip was a heavy holster sporting a weapon of some sort.

2) Quinn, the rest of the glee club, and assorted other friends and relatives were in her basement shouting _SURPRISE!_ They were dressed in odd costumes while Brittany ran through the room waving a long billowing banner that said: 'No Power in the 'Verse can take you down.'

Santana's get-up was very similar to Quinns. She had the knee high boots and the _very _tight pants, but the top she was wearing was much more revealing. Her 'sand bags,' or 'fun bags,' or _whatever _were pushing the boundaries of that camel colored vee neck to their limits. The Latina's dark lustrous hair was bound in a pony tail, which also incorporated some intricate braids.

Before Rachel could properly process what was happening, Quinn stepped forward, pulled the pistol out of it's holster and twirled it on her finger. She smiled wickedly before exclaiming, " I aim to misbehave! "

Rachel snickered. _Is that so Quinn Fabray? _

Santana told Quinn not to do anything to damage the 'ship' or something weird that Rachel didn't quite catch. But what was _really weird, _was that she called Quinn '_Sir' _at the end of her line. _Sir? _

The strangeness continued when Brittany floated barefoot through the room wearing a filmy dress with an undulating hemline, her hair was loose and wild, and she was babbling nonsense while peering through the disarray of tangled bangs.

"They never lay down, ...I can hear them… all of them screaming inside my head, and they are saying: NOTHING!"

At that point Noah rushed forth to declare that Brittany was, '_damaging his calm_.' The knitted cap he was wearing was decidedly absurd. It was horribly crafted; orange and yellow yarn with earflaps and a big fluffy tassel on top. Although, she did like tassels. Noah was also wearing trooper pants, a ringer tee shirt, and carrying a bazooka (or something) that was almost as big as Rachel herself.

_Oh…I get it, _Rachel surmised, _they're acting out some type of Play for me; it involves cowboys, or... the Civil War? Those trousers and suspenders that Quinn are wearing look to be from that era. They really accentuate her lovely asss…erm… posterior. It could be Star Trek maybe, because Kurt has a ray gun. But the ray gun doesn't go very well with that strange dress he is wearing. Hmmm? _

She finally spotted her Dad, Daddy, and Judy. (snort!...giggle) _They were dressed up as, well… as, um… well, as Trollops! Her first clue was the 'scary clown hooker' make-up, followed by the atrocious wigs and the 18th century Saloon gowns._

Artie's costume was all black. His neck was encircled with a white collar by which a minister wears. He wheeled himself up to the Trollops and told them they should, 'find a leaf,' or something like that. _This was a very confusing storyline to follow, but the costumes were extraordinary._

_Oh, and DeputyMinnieSparkle was here with her girlfriend Captain Monroe._ _What were they? World War II Officers? _ Rachel decided to give up the guessing game and opted to enjoy the show.

_Oh shoot,_ Rachel thought, _I've missed something integral to the plot, _as Tina stepped forward. The goth girl was garbed in a grungy green jumper, she had grease smeared all over her face and was holding a big wrench.

Her line wasn't very long at all, she simply said, "Shiny!"

At that point, a bunch of hideous creatures popped up from their place behind the sofa and attempted to _eat_ the Cast members, who shrieked and fled in varying directions about the room; all the while bellowing out, '_Reavers!_' The creatures (Lauren, Mercedes, Jeremy, and Mike) were horribly maimed and covered in unkempt hair.

_Was it Planet of the Apes? _Rachel wondered.

Suddenly, Brittany dashed into the fray carrying a curvy axe in one hand and a funny shaped sword in the other. She twirled about, spinning gracefully to and fro, swinging her frightening weapons in intricate patterns before proceeding to chop and stab at the _Ape things_ until they _finally,_ "laid down."

When it was all over Sam strode over to Rachel wearing a palm patterned aloha shirt, his standard goofy smile, and addressed her with a plastic dinosaur. The dinosaur exclaimed: "I'm a leaf in the wind, watch me soar!"

By which time, Rachel was utterly dumbfounded and could only nod in witless agreement to Sam's extraordinary greeting. All the _Players _lined up in a row and bowed deeply to their sole audience member.

They finished their performance by shouting, 'Nothing in the 'Verse can take you down Rachel! Happy Birthday!'

Rachel clapped fiercely, then immediately burst into tears.

But they were tears of joy. She was overwhelmed by the effort her friends had made to make her party truly unique. She was quickly surrounded by Reavers and River, a bevy of Trollops, the Cap'n, her Second, Jayne, Kaylee, Shepherd, and the rest of the Cast.

It was all Sam's idea. He wanted Rachel's party to be _special_ after all the angst she had suffered through the 'Schmanson Affair.' Sam being _Sam, _after all, could not resist the idea of a theme party. But he wanted it to have a deeper meaning; like how you could survive _anything_ as long as your friends and family had your back. So, he wrote up the script and was only a little disappointed that everyone got the order of their lines mixed up. And Dude! Brittany was a _phenomenal_ River!

Also, thanks to Kurt and Mercedes, the costumes were really great. Quinn assured Sam that it wouldn't matter _at all_ if Rachel didn't know what Firefly was. Nor would it matter if she hadn't seen Serenity. Quinn knew that Rachel would be much more impressed with the drama and pageantry; particularly regarding the _costumes_.

Quinn made Rachel change into a gorgeous costume immediately following the production. Kurt helped her drape a single piece of fabric into an elegant gown of deeply green silk. The jeweled accessories were fabulous and Rachel couldn't help but secretly gloat that she had gotten the best costume of all.

So it was… (several hours later) after opening presents, eating ice cream, and gorging on a cake that was shaped like an impossibly ugly spaceship. After getting a crash course on Cap'n Malcolm Reynolds, and Zoe, and Kaylee, and Wash, and Jayne, and River, and all the rest of the colorful characters…

...that Rachel was informed of which _character_ she was to play that evening.

"Let me tell you all about Inara," Quinn whispered in Rachel's ear while grabbing her hand to lead her upstairs.

**Rachel and Quinn**

Rachel closed and locked her bedroom door, breaking the 'open door' policy her daddy's _mostly _enforced on the evenings that Quinn spent the night. The moment the lock clicked into place Quinn was pinning her against that hard surface. It was going to be a, 'Quinn's on Top' night. Rachel didn't mind, in fact she rather preferred that Quinn be in charge on such a memorable evening.

Her lovely one piece gown melted into a puddle on the floor in two swift tugs from Quinn's impatient hands. Rachel was left in nothing but her matching bra and panties, which were pink in color and trimmed with delicate lace. Her girlfriend was still fully clothed and armed, she could feel the butt of her revolver rubbing against her bottom; it sent a shiver of anticipation throughout her whole body.

Soft, soft lips were grazing her shoulder, while strong sure hands were stroking her thighs and stomach from behind. Rachel tried to lean back into her lovers touch but Quinn would not allow her. She gently pushed Rachel forward against the door and held her in place with strong hips, all the while slowly thrusting herself forward into Rachel's backside.

"Quinn, I want to…-" But the request was cut off as Quinn covered her mouth with the palm of her hand.

"No!" Was whispered quietly but firmly into Rachel's ear, a gentle nip upon her earlobe reinforced the command.

Rachel started to squirm as Quinn continued to rub against her. The fabric of those trousers was creating a friction that was becoming unbearable. The little diva was rarely patient once she became aroused and she _hated _being teased. So, of course, her girlfriend was going to tease her. On her Birthday! But then a sly hand was sliding into the front of Rachel's panties, it was dipping down swift and low. Another hand slid up the length of Rachel's abdomen and palmed her breast, all the while Quinn continued to slowly thrust her hips into Rachel's heated backside.

Nimble fingers stroked in silky wet, slowly grazing and teasing her sensitive nub. Her neck was peppered with kisses and nips, and nibbles and still, Quinn was rocking against her, building a rhythm, creating a tempo that had Rachel gasping with need. Somehow Rachel's bra had come unclasped; a single strap was dangling from her arm as she braced herself against the door with both palms. Quinn was inside her now. Pushing and thrusting, oh so slowly, and grinding against her from behind. Quinn's free hand was circling the rims of her nipples, gently teasing, arousing, building up the tension, and the pleasure... and the agony.

Rachel was panting out her need, knowing that if she begged, or cried out, that Quinn would simply stop.

She moaned instead, "uuunnnnn…" and suddenly Quinn was picking up her pace, thrusting harder from behind and pushing her fingers deeper and deeper, faster and faster. Rachel's chin was grasped by firm fingers; she she was pulled into a sloppy, hungry kiss. A passionate kiss that claimed her fully; it was deep and fierce, pushing her closer, so much closer, to that ever elusive raggedy edge.

Quinn increased the tempo, finally giving Rachel what she wanted, what she desperately needed; she curled her fingers inside with a final thrust and Rachel screamed, crying out Quinn's name shrilly as wave after wave of sweet, sweet, pleasure consumed her trembling body.

Some little time later….

They were snuggled up in Rachel's bed, holding each other close and talking quietly, laughing uncontrollably for several moments while re-hashing the most memorable birthday party of Rachel's young life. But then the little diva's playful mood became somewhat somber.

She exhaled a deep breath before softly asking Quinn, "What are we going to do about Nate?"

"Shssh…Rachel, we talked about this earlier remember?" Quinn soothed. "He doesn't get to be a topic on your birthday. We'll work it out over the weekend with the Cast. Let it go for now sweetheart, ….Okay?" Quinn pleaded, hoping Rachel would drop it for now. Hoping they could go back to softer topics and sweet, sweet kisses.

"Okay." Rachel whispered her reply but proceeded to ask another question.

"I thought you told me that Inara was a trained Companion?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, then, it would only make sense for me to practice my character's _wiles,_ don't you think so Cap'n?"

"Uh.. huh."

**To Be Continued...**

_Next chapter, the show down with the swim team and a bit of Holiday fluff. Thank you all so much for continuing to read and review. I hope your Holiday was safe and happy._


	40. Twelve Days of Christmukah

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

…_._

_Okay, hold on to your seats because this is a very whacky ride. This whole story has finally jumped the shark. Well, maybe it did that way back in chapter three. Anyway, this is mostly Holiday Fluff that I got carried away with. The important word in that last sentence was MOSTLY. I split this chapter in two because it got way too long. You'll get the rest in a few days as the latter half is still a mess. This part may be a mess too, but you're getting it anyway. I don't want to leave too much time between my updates after that long hiatus._

_Also, please excuse my ignorance of all things Chanukah (Hanukkah). I did some research but not enough to make anything here legitimate. _

…_.._

**Chapter XLI: Twelve Days of Christmukah**

_**Saturday morning following Rachel's birthday party.**_

Sometime in the very early morning, the two girls washed their faces and hands, they donned pajamas and sprayed the room with vanilla mist before unlocking and opening Rachel's bedroom door; all in the effort to pretend that they had followed the rules. It was unlikely that the pretense would be believed and neither girl knew what type of reception they would receive at the breakfast table. Quinn dreaded going downstairs as a vivid memory of orange juice spraying through her nose was lingering on the forefront of her mind. Well, what was mostly on her mind was her girlfriend's lack of a brain to mouth filter.

Quinn really didn't want Rachel describing to her Dad and Daddy how many orgasms (of the Century or otherwise) were achieved throughout the previous evening. Rachel's Dads had been very supportive of their relationship thus far, and Quinn didn't want to push them into thinking they had to intervene out of some sense of moral responsibility or _whatever_. Quinn suspected that Hiram and Leroy were willing to let the rules slide on very selective special occasions. For example, the 'Schmanson Incident' had been shocking to all of them, and what the girls got up to in the bedroom hadn't even factored into their parents equation during that week. Well, except for that disastrous breakfast.

Quinn was hoping that Rachel's seventeenth birthday was also an occasion that had earned them a 'get out of jail free' card. Because it hadn't been Quinn that broke the sound barrier with supersonic screams during the night. _Oh God!_ Quinn really didn't want to face this day. She scrunched her eyes together tightly, refusing to wake up. _ I'll just sleep in and let Rachel handle her Dad and Daddy. _Quinn knew that whatever she prepared herself to expect regarding her girlfriend's behavior was apt to be blown to little pieces anyway. Rachel was predictable in that way; meaning she was predictably unpredictable. _Oh My God! UGH and shit! Why do I have to be in love with the most adorably insane person on the entire planet?_

"Open your eyes baby. I know you're awake because I can sense your thoughts of dread. Ever since my near death experience my psychic abilities have increased exponentially. " Rachel leaned over and very gently kissed Quinn's eyelids, which were barely visible because she was scrunching them together so tightly.

"I promise not to make a scene this morning Quinn." Rachel announced, her soothing voice straining in the effort to contain her mirth.

_Maybe this psychic thing isn't so nutty after all, because Rachel had surely hit the nail on the head._

Quinn opened her eyes only to lose herself in dreamy root beer brown. Rachel'e eyes shone like root beer boasting a heady foam whenever she was highly amused.

"Rachel, you were yowling like a cat in heat last night. Do you really think your Dad's are going to give us a pass?"

"QUINN FABRAY! I was _not_ _**YOWLING**_!" Rachel's amusement dissolved into raging indignation.

Quinn burst into giggles, she was suddenly feeling much better. All at once it became imperative to tickle the smooth taught skin of Rachel's tantalizing tummy, which was delightfully exposed by her manic arm flailing; a prerequisite of any truly respectable diva tantrum. Quinn's fingers hit their mark, she wiggled them playfully at the base of Rachel's tiny ribcage.

"eeeeeeeekk…..no….eeeeek….Quinnnnnn…. I ggg…givve…._ I_ _**give**_…_**eeeeeeeeeek.**_"

The girls were interrupted in the middle of their squabble by the clearing of a voice at Rachel's bedroom door.

"Ahem…" Hiram leaned against the jamb casually, grinning at the pair with great affection.

"Well Rachel, whether you _were_ _Yowling_ last night is something neither your Dad nor myself were aware of. We decided it would be pertinent to wear our earplugs. However, you were definitely _YOWLING_ a moment ago and I'm not sure if my poor old ear drums will ever recover. Now, since you two have spoiled my Saturday ritual by being early risers…" Hiram paused to mock glare at them.

"Get yourselves together and come downstairs for breakfast. Your Dad is making breakfast pie." He turned on his heel and left abruptly, chortling all the way down the stairs.

"Hmm…that turned out rather nicely." Rachel observed cheerfully, not the slightest bit embarrassed by her Daddy's declaration in regard to his and Leroy's use of _earplugs_.

"_See_ Quinn, I told you I wouldn't make a scene this morning." The little diva smugly patted her girlfriends knee before leaning in to kiss her playfully on the nose.

In that moment Quinn realized that Rachel's Dads were every bit as _insane_ and _predictably unpredictable_ as Rachel.

Oh My God!

…

**Calendar of Rachel and Quinn's Holiday schedule.**

Thursday, December 21st: End of the Schmanson trial, and the first day of Chanukah.

Friday, December 22nd: Rachel's birthday party, and the second day of Chanukah.

Saturday, December 23rd: Frantic last minute shopping, and the third day of Chanukah.

Sunday, December 24th: Caroling, Christmas Eve at the Fabrays', and the fourth day of Chanukah.

Monday, December 25th: Christmas Day at the Berrys', and the fifth day of Chanukah.

Tuesday, December 26th: Rest, play, and the sixth day of Chanukah.

Wednesday, December 27th: Scheme, play, and the seventh day of Chanukah.

Thursday, December 28th: More scheming, and the eighth day of Chanukah.

Friday, December 29th: Operation Demented Duo.

…

**Rachel's, 'Twelve days of Christmukah'**

_On the first day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**A secret code with a spare key**_

Now, let us say that the Holiday week for Rachel and Quinn was a cornucopia of preparation.

Preparation for Chanukah, which actually started the day before Rachel's birthday party on December 21st. Preparation for Christmas, which would be celebrated at Quinn and Judy's on Christmas eve, and at the Berry residence on Christmas day.

But mostly, between the shopping for presents, and food, and wrapping the presents and baking, and cooking the food; Rachel, Quinn and the gleeks were preparing for the deconstruction of Nate and Jenna's evil intentions.

Also, let us say that Rachel likes pretty things. She has an appreciation for the symmetry of forms. A predilection for the dedication to perfection. Whether that be a natural innate beauty such as her girlfriend possessed, or a masterfully crafted bauble, or a sublimely transcendent performance. The beauty is in the process, in the evolving, in the doing, in the passion and the energy that fuels all creativity. With that in mind, Quinn prepared a Holiday gift list, that (she hoped) would leave her girlfriend swooning.

Now, because of certain events, Quinn got a little behind with the checking off of items on her list. The first evening of Chanukah was on Thursday, the same day as the conclusion of the Schmanson trial. The four girls were distracted and preoccupied with their feelings in the aftermath, but Rachel still wanted to follow her family tradition. She lit a single candle atop her bedroom desk and whisper-sang a soft chant. The words were few, but resonated deeply.

_Let the flame be kindled within me,_

_Let Your Love burn bright,_

_I hunger for Your Light,_

_I hunger for Your Light._

Quinn, Brittany, and Santana surrounded Rachel at her little desktop altar; they all joined hands and whisper-sang together. Those four voices blended seamlessly, each of them an octave apart but the harmony was hauntingly true.

_Let the flame be kindled within me,_

_Let Your Love burn bright,_

_I hunger for Your Light,_

_I hunger for Your Light._

The second night of Chanukah was Rachel's birthday party. And, well, you all know what Quinn gave Rachel that night. Ahem...

The third night of Chanukah, Quinn caught up with her original schedule and presented Rachel with a simple greeting card. Inside was the _**(secret)**_ number _**code**_ for the security alarm of The Yogurt Palace.

"Oh my God, Quinn! How did you get this keypad code?" Rachel shrieked excitedly. That particular detail had been taunting the little diva. How could she get cameras and microphones into the Yogurt Palace? They needed surveillance of both the kitchen and the serving room. Quinn started to explain how she and Artie hacked into the keypad's circuitry, but was rudely interrupted by super soft lips melting onto her own. "..uhmmmnnn.."

This was the very first step in taking down the 'Demented Duo,' otherwise known as Nate and Jenna. Technically, this Op was strictly a glee club endeavor; an impromptu Scene spawned by necessity. Quinn's goal was to disperse the responsibilities for 'Operation Demented Duo' among the many members of Rachel's Cast. She wanted Rachel's Holiday to be relaxing and restful, not encumbered by the stress of having to strategize and scheme.

So, on the fourth night of Chanukah, which was also Christmas eve, Quinn gave Rachel a _**spare key**_. A key that opened Brian Grants, 'Grammy's' back door.

Rachel squealed, "How did you get 'Grammy's' key?" That was followed up with exuberant clapping, jumping up and down, and ultimately, pouncing on Quinn and kissing her senseless in front of everyone on Christmas eve.

"Awwwwww…" Was echoed throughout the room as the little diva thoroughly took advantage of the good natured support her friends and family expressed. Rachel extended the kiss until Quinn was as bright as the cardinal colored sweater she was wearing.

"Ummmnn, Rach…uunnnn " (more kisses) "We don't want your Dads to know what we're up to, nor my mom…uunnnn."

"Awwwwww…"

"Ew, gross… my eyes, my eyes. First, they blind me with their matching reindeer sweaters, and now they've triggered my gag reflex."

Snort!… giggle.

…

_On the second day of Christmukah _

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Two Taser guns and **_

_A secret code with a spare key_

Quinn's Christmas and Chanukah (Christmukah) gifts to Rachel continued throughout the whole week.

On Christmas day she presented Rachel with a _**pair**_ of matching _**Taser Guns**_. Of course there were other, more appropriate presents, but this gift was opened privately - away from the prying eyes of Judy and Rachel's Daddys. The Taser guns were for Rachel and Brittany, should any part of their Operation take a wrong turn. Quinn was all about prevention. She had learned that lesson the hard way, and she had every intention of keeping Rachel and Brittany safe. If they needed to Tase the piss out of Nate and his friends, or Jenna, then she would make sure they had the means to do so.

…

_On the third day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Three Wise men**_

_Two Taser Guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

The day after Christmas, Quinn and Santana took Rachel and Brittany sledding on Heartrace Hill. The true surprise happened after their first ride down the hill. When they were almost finished with the climb back up, Quinn paused at the 'almost there' location. She pulled her turbo sled off to the side and stopped abruptly causing a chain reaction. Rachel bumped into Quinn's back, Brittany bumped into Rachel, and Santana bumped into Brittany.

"Hey! Juno, you big dork. Let a girl know when you're going to stop. I almost dropped my saucer and I don't want to chase it down the fucking hill." Santana griped while Rachel and Brittany lost themselves in giggles. Quinn tucked Rachel into the nook of her shoulder and pointed to the top of the hill. Smiling down on them were three familiar faces. Her _**Dad **__and__** Daddy, **__and__** Peter**_. They were waving wildly, their grins were wide and filled with mischief. Rachel's Dad, Leroy, stomped his heavily booted foot and shouted out to them.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, it's _our_ _turn_ and you're going sooooo slow!"

Squeals of delight, followed by jumping up and down. In the midst of her excitement Rachel smashed into Santana's saucer knocking it out of her hands. The silvery sliding disk sped swiftly toward the steepest part of the slope.

"Eres carne muerta Berry!" Was shouted over Santana's shoulder as she chased her saucer all the way down the f*#+ing hill!

Peals of laughter...

…..

_On the fourth day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Four Angels Angling**_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

December 27th: High Tea at the Country Club. Judy still held her membership to the Lost Creek Country Club and gladly made the tea party arrangements for Quinn. This had the potential to be a bittersweet occasion for both girls, but Quinn decided to be brave and hoped that Rachel would see the afternoon as an opportunity and not an ambush.

Rachel was intrigued by the gilded invitation she received in the mail. She recognized Quinn's lazy script immediately and knew this was another one of her girlfriend's thoughtful surprises. Rachel decked herself out for the afternoon get together, donning an Audrey Hepburn..._ish_ ensemble of red and black. Her blouse was bright red with a pointy collar, the fitted jacket and skirt were deeply black. Kitten heels, a red beret, and a handbag patterned with ladybugs finished off the outfit.

Rachel strolled into the tiny elegant room that was reserved for a party of five and nearly passed out.

Seated at the table, in-between _**Quinn**_ and _**Judy Fabray**_, was _**Beth**_ and _**Shelby **__Corcoran_.

Ambush. Definitely an ambush. Oops. Quinn should have known better. Darn, and she was doing so well up until this little snafu. Darn. Rachel was obnoxious and rude for the first five minutes until Beth smashed a spoon into Quinn's tea cup and started to giggle at the mess she had made. _Oh..oh._

One startled gaze later; deep dark brown fell into a hazel green that shone with laughter and mischief. _She's a carbon copy of Quinn._ _Oh My Fucking God! _ Rachel ranted internally. _There's no defense for that…argggh…I guess I should stop being such a bitch and apologize._

"I'd like to apologize for my atrocious behavior." Rachel stated icily before addressing her biological mother.

"Shelby, it still stings, somewhat, to be in your presence… however, I cannot, in all honesty, deny how lovely it is to see beautiful baby Beth. Thank you for allowing Quinn and Judy to spend some time with her."

_Well, that was still bitchy… uh, huh.. I'm still furious. Quinn Fabray what were you thinking? Darn, that baby looks just like her… gah…ack! There's no defense at all. _Two sets of hazel eyes were fixated upon Rachel as she mumbled unintelligibly to herself.

"Oh hell!" Rachel exclaimed, standing up abruptly, she pushed her chair back while Quinn's heart cracked just a little bit. _She's going to storm out of here. _The Cheerio sadly surmised. But then something extraordinary happened. Rachel marched over to where Shelby was seated and declared, "I'm still mad at you for messing with my head, and my life…but.. but… I can't really help it if I love you...can I ?"

Shelby reached out just as Rachel's tears started to stream, ensnaring her daughter in a crushing hug.

"I love you too baby girl."

Cue the waterworks.

…

_On the fifth day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me_

_**Five Golden Stars**_

_Four Angels Angling_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

(December 27th, after the tea party, at the Berry residence)

Quinn painted _**five gold stars**_ on Rachel's naked body. The golden ink was edible. The flavor was spiced rum…umm...Yum!

….

_On the sixth day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Six bugs a-hiding**_

_Five Golden Stars_

_Four Angels Angling_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

Some little time later…after licking clean the remnants of that fifth gold star, Quinn presented Rachel with links to all the microphones. Between Artie, Puck, Sam and Mike they were able to place _**six 'bugs.'**_ They even managed to sneak into Jenna's minivan while she visited her sister at The Yogurt Palace. One bug for the ceiling of the minivan. Two bugs for the Yogurt Palace. Three bugs for Grammy's Place.

….

_On the seventh day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Seven swimmers failing**_

_Six bugs a-hiding_

_Five Golden Stars_

_Four Angels Angling_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

_(December 28th)_

Quinn presented Rachel with a list of names. _**Seven swimmers**_ were intending to participate in the abduction of Rachel and Brittany on that coming Friday. This was gleaned from their surveillance cameras and microphones at the future crime scenes. Jenna Doran was the only member from the girls swim team. The others were Nate's groupies and peons. That number seven was depressing. The entire Cast of Rachel's Play was gathered in Rachel's Lab Oratory discussing the final details and assignments when Tina kind of lost it for a moment.

"This is _**really sick!**_" Tina shouted out her frustration. "How can any of them think this is okay? Don't they know what Nate intends to do?"

Mike got off of his stool to encircle his girlfriend in a warm embrace. He was struggling with the same thoughts. Some of those boys were friends of his. How could they? Quinn responded to Tina's outburst by trying to answer her questions.

"I think Brian probably knows by some of the conversations we heard between him and Nate. The others think it's a prank, just like Nate told Jenna. Although, I'm almost positive that Jenna must be aware of what Nate intends. She isn't stupid and he made it very clear she shouldn't be there."

How could that many boys from their school participate in such a heinous act? Quinn mused, she couldn't even bring herself to say the word. She couldn't think about the situation that way. What their plan would achieve was prevention. And, hopefully, when it was all over, Nate Minetti would never get the chance to hurt another girl.

…

_On the Eighth day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Eight candles glowing**_

_Seven swimmers failing_

_Six bugs a-hiding_

_Five Golden Stars_

_Four Angels Angling_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

That evening Rachel and Quinn lit the eighth and final Chanukah candle together. Quinn gifted Rachel with a Rainbow collection. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet glowing candles were lined up side by side. Each was a sculpted wax flower and scented differently, but ultimately the dominant aromas were vanilla and cinnamon. The eighth and final candle was white in color, its form a Lily. The Lily was Quinn's favorite as it brought her back to that day she had broken into Rachel's Lab Oratory.

Her lips held an upward curl, a barely there smile as she pulled Rachel into her arms to hold her close. Rachel happily surrendered to the snug embrace, but was a bit startled by her girlfriend's pensiveness. She wanted to know what had the Cheerio smirking like the Mona Lisa? Quinn pointed at the _**eight glowing**_, flowery, candles, and whispered into Rachel's ear, "Look within the heart of the petals." Then she started to sing.

_Let your flame be kindled with mine,_

_Let our Love burn bright,_

_We'll thrive within the Light,_

_We'll thrive within the Light._

"gasp…sniffle…sniffle…sob… sniffle..." And then…

"…unnnn….mmnnnn…. (pant)…gasp…mmmmm…(pant)…uuhnnn…."

…

_On the Ninth day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Nine ladies lurking**_

_Eight candles glowing_

_Seven swimmers failing_

_Six bugs a-hiding_

_Five Golden Stars_

_Four Angels Angling_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

There was one portion of 'Operation Demented Duo' that was classified as _need to know_, which meant Rachel didn't need to know about it.

Quinn called DeputyMinnieSparkle. _Yes..sir..eee... she did._ Her girlfriend was absolutely a hundred percent nuts. Quinn had known that from the beginning and fully accepted Rachel's CraZy as part of the packaged deal. But there was no way in hell she was going to allow her girlfriend to be loaded into a minivan, whether she was 'fake passed out' or not, and be driven to Brian Grants _fucking_ _'Grammy's place.' _Not without a police escort.

Minnie had apoplexy for what seemed like hours over the phone, but then agreed to meet with Quinn and Santana at the Lima Bean. Captain Monroe showed up as well. Ugh… Oh..oh. Oops.

By the time they were done _'splaining themselves_ to the two police officers, they had Captan Monroe's Swat Team on board as well as Deputy Minnie Sparkle. The officers were initially irate but begrudgingly agreed with the girls that Nate was a dangerous person and needed to be caught. It was known in the department that he was a serial date rapist, but the police had been unable to collect enough evidence to press charges against him. That really rankled the two women, and as much as they hated what these kids had gotten up to, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.

Minnie was grateful that Quinn had not called Rachel's Uncle Ricky. That would have been awful, Ricky would blow a gasket with that information. He was a very protective man and just the idea that Rachel was, once again, the target of such a hateful crime could push the passionate man over the edge. The Sheriff would have to be informed, but Minnie intended to do that after everything was all over. The conflict of interest would be too great, just as it had been in the Stephanie Hanson case.

Rachel Berry had a knack for finding trouble; the kind with a Capitol T, but 'Whoa!' This Nate kid was one seriously messed up piece of shit.

So, Rachel and Brittany would not be all alone in the Yogurt Palace tomorrow afternoon when they went to enjoy their weekly cup of frozen treat. No, _**lurking**_ in the shadows, and on the highway, and in the bushes at 'Grammy's Place,' would be the undeniably cute DeputyMinnieSparkle and her sexy CaptainMonroe, accompanied by a team of hot shot Swat professionals.

Quinn and Santana, Mercedes, Tina and Lauren would be _**lurking**_ too. Mercedes and Tina were paired up in one of the vehicles assigned as 'tails' with Artie and Kurt. Santana and Quinn would be monitoring the video and audio feeds, while Lauren would be with Puck, Sam and Mike stalking the bushes, hoping to avoid Captain Monroe over at Grammy's Place.

_(That's only seven **lurking ladies** but the other two are extras. I can't remember their names…ah…um, I mean my dog ate the paper that their names were on…um…er…:(_

…_._

_On the Tenth day of Christmas_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Ten cameras peeping**_

Nine ladies lurking

Eight candles glowing

Seven swimmers failing

Six bugs a-hiding

Five Golden Stars

Four Angels Angling

Three Wise men

Two Taser guns and

A secret code with a spare key

(much later, after the last candle was lit for Chanukah)

Because the girls were on their Holiday break; Judy, Hiram and Leroy were allowing them to have additional sleepovers during the regular week. So it was that Rachel and Quinn were snuggled up in bed with Rachel's laptop computer.

Throughout that whole week Puck, Artie, Sam and Lauren were in charge of planting the cameras. They managed to get a camera into Nate's car, Jenna's minivan, three within the Yogurt Palace and five at Grammy's Place.

Rachel and Quinn cuddled up to watch some previously recorded footage. Not a lot happened, because it was Christmas break after all, but they did get to see poor, innocent, Kristie Doran lock up the Yogurt Palace on several evenings at nine o'clock sharp. She looked like a sweet kid. She was very conscientious about her responsibilities; she made sure to wipe everything down and sweep the floors before she left. They also caught a glimpse of Brian Grant watering his grandmother's plants, completely unaware that his friendship with Nate Minetti was about to get him a one way ticket to juvenile hell.

"Why do we use cameras without microphones Rachel? We wouldn't have had to plant the bugs if the cameras recorded sound too?" Quinn was really curious because the camera Rachel bugged Sue Sylvester's office with had both audio and visual.

Rachel nodded her approval at Quinn's question. The gleeks managed to plant six bugs, and _**ten cameras**_ in all.

"Because it's illegal to audio record private conversations between people. It's not, however, illegal to video tape people in the privacy of their own home, or car, or where ever. The Government hasn't caught up with the technological advances yet, so Congress hasn't re-written the privacy laws. To our benefit, in this instance. If we want these charges against Nate and Jenna to stick, Quinn, we have to get everything on video. Video without audio, or else they can throw it out when it goes to trial.

I think, after this is all over, I will start a petition against the video loophole. I'll call it, 'Citizens against up the skirt vids!' That will make Jacob Ben Israel think twice before sticking his camera anywhere near the Cheerios skirts!."

"Wow!" Was all that Quinn could think of to say.

"Uh, huh." Rachel responded smugly, knowing that Quinn was impressed by her obsessive attention to detail.

"You are really _bat shit_ sometimes. " Quinn goaded, because she loved it when Rachel got all cocky. All the more fun in winding her up.

**"QUINN FABRAY!**_** I am**_ _**not**_ _**Bat Shit! **__" _Rachel shrieked.

snort…giggle…

"Ahem…" Was uttered from the threshold of Rachel's bedroom door. "Well, Rachel, whether you are _Bat Shit_ or _Beetle Dung_ makes no difference to me, because I love you just the same. But it is getting very late, you girls have had a busy week, it's time to get some sleep." And with that said, Hiram turned on his heel and sauntered down the hallway, his shoulders were shaking with unfettered laughter.

….

_On the Eleventh day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Eleven Troopers Tromping**_

_Ten cameras peeping_

_Nine ladies lurking_

_Eight candles glowing_

_Seven swimmers failing_

_Six bugs a-hiding_

_Five Golden Stars_

_Four Angels Angling_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key_

Deputy Minnie Sparkle was large and in charge. She called in back-up from other counties. The total task force was _**eleven **_officers, not including Gillian's Swat Team. For some reason, she knew it was borderline sexist, but she wanted as many female officers as she could find for this…stake out? Sting? She didn't really know what to call it. She certainly wasn't going to call it, 'Operation Demented Duo!' Christ those kids were Looney! Was everyone in that High School higher than kites?

Anyway, _what was she thinking? _Oh yeah… She wanted Nate Minetti to be arrested by women. That boy would be surrounded by women with guns on their hips. He would be pushed, and shoved, and handcuffed by female officers. He would be photographed, fingerprinted, questioned, and thrust into a cell by female officers. That little prick was in for a sorry time. Oh, she would do everything by the book for sure, but she would take her time to do so.

When this was all over she was going to pay a visit to that Looney Bin School. The whole lot of them needed a serious intervention. And that glee club? Oh My God! _Holy Fuck_ those kids had balls. _But, she better not catch even a glimpse of Santana Lopez or Quinn Fabray tomorrow_. They were all ordered to stay away. Stay away from The Yogurt Palace, stay away from Grammy's Place, and stay out of harms way. She knew they wouldn't listen, which is why she intended to have them all picked up.

Except for Rachel and Brittany of course.

…..

Friday Dec, 29th: Operation Demented Duo.

**Brittany and Rachel**

Brittany had the lamentable habit of gobbling her sweet treats. Even if the treats were frozen; all the better because she loved the rush of having a 'brain freeze.' In this instance, however, she kicked Rachel below the table of the booth to get her friends attention, capturing a serious brown gaze with one that was a fading sparkly blue.

"This is the only way Rach…he has to be caught..." The piercing blue of Brittany's eyes seemed to brighten for a moment, before they faded, as she continued to explain herself to Rachel.

"You'll know what to do…" Was barely exhaled, the words tapered off and Brittany passed out, her upper body collapsing across the table that she and Rachel were sharing in The Yogurt Palace.

_Oh My God! Brittany!_ Rachel silently shrieked. _You were supposed to pretend to eat it, not actually eat it. _Rachel was freaking out, she was completely unprepared for what Brittany had done. _What the hell did she mean? …This is the only way? _She decided to go along with what they had planned. Everything was set up for Rachel to make her move during the ride. Everyone else was in place, if this was going to work she had to do her part. _Maybe Britt was really faking after all?_ She would improvise on the ride over to 'Grammy's' house if she had to.

And so, Rachel passed out too. She had surreptitiously dumped the contents of her yogurt cup into a plastic bag inside her purse while pretending to look for a tissue. At the same time she was making a point to lick her spoon before slowly falling over on the seat of the booth that she and Brittany were sharing.

A moment later she could hear the snick of the door being locked and the whispering voices of Kristie and Jenna Doran.

"Are they passed out?" Kristie asked, her voice was shaky and quivering.

"Oh yeah. With the amount Nate gave me to put in, they'll be out for a long time… (chortle)…. okay Kristie, lets haul them out to the van. "

_Wait, Nate wasn't even here? That was the whole point. To catch him spiking the yogurt with the cameras. That bastard never intended to be here. He was doing what he always had; using Jenna to cover his tracks. Damn. Well then, she would just have to convince Jenna it would be in her best interest to help them set Nate up…and she was worried about Brittany. What if they gave her too much GHB? Maybe she should just stop everything right now…but what if Nate was waiting in the back by the van? Damn, they should have used the earpiece transmitters. Quinn would have been able to tell her what was going on right now._

Moments later Rachel could feel herself being maneuvered out of the booth. She forced herself to stay limp. She could not tense up. The hands that were grasping her legs were firm but gentle, the voice that accompanied the hands was trembling with fear.

"You aren't going to hurt them are you Jenna? "

"No Kris, I already told you, it's just like Nate said before, we're just playing a little joke on them. We're getting them back for what they did to us at the swim meet is all. I promise Kris. Let's get them out of here now so you can open the shop back up. I don't want you getting into trouble with your boss."

"I…ah…okay Jen, but they're so nice. They always leave me a really good tip, and Brittany is so funny. Rachel's a really good singer too, Jen. I don't want them hurt. Promise me you won't let Nate hurt them?" Kristie pleaded with her sister.

I promise Kris, like I told you before, it's just a joke. Now, lets get them in the van so you can open the shop back up and I'll be on my way. Remember Kris, don't tell anyone about this alright?"

Sigh… "Okay."

Five minutes later both Rachel and Brittany were lying prone on the floor in the back of Jenna Doran's minivan. The back seat had been removed so they had been placed in a rather indelicate pile. No care had been taken to adjust their limbs or heads so she was currently lying with her head on Brittany's breast bone. What she couldn't hear was deeply disturbing. Brittany's heart rate was very low. Too low. So low, in fact, that she could barely hear her heart beating at all.

A sickening chill raced through Rachel's body. All at once she understood that Nate Minetti could very well have intentionally used an overdose. Oh God. Rachel's eyes were leaking tears as Jenna pulled the minivan onto the highway.

_**"Stop this car right now**_ _**you**_ _**Bitch!"**_

**To Be Continued...**

_I know you all hate cliffhangers. Sorry. That really was the best place for me to stop because the next part is really long. Proceed with throwing the rotten tomatoes! _

_Thanks to all of you who continue to review, I so appreciate your feedback._

The lyrics to Rachel's Chanukah chant belong to Rabbi Shefa Gold. No intended copyright infringement.

Eres carne muerta Berry! = You're dead meat Berry!


	41. Folly

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

…_.._

_(Previously)_

_"I…ah…okay Jen, but they're so nice. They always leave me a really good tip, and Brittany is so funny. Rachel's a really good singer too, Jen. I don't want them hurt. Promise me you won't let Nate hurt them?" Kristie pleaded with her sister._

_I promise Kris, like I told you before, it's just a joke. Now, lets get them in the van so you can open the shop back up and I'll be on my way. Remember Kris, don't tell anyone about this alright?"_

_Sigh… "Okay." _

_Five minutes later both Rachel and Brittany were lying on the floor in the back of Jenna Doran's minivan. The back seat had been removed so they had been placed in a rather indelicate pile. No care had been taken to adjust their limbs or heads so she was currently lying with her head on Brittany's breast bone. What she couldn't hear was deeply disturbing. Brittany's heart rate was very low. Too low. So low, in fact, that she could barely hear her heart beating at all. _

_A sickening chill raced through Rachel's body. All at once she understood that Nate Minetti could very well have intentionally used an overdose. Oh God. Rachel eyes were leaking tears as Jenna pulled the minivan onto the highway._

_**"Stop this car right now**_ _**you**_ _**Bitch!"**_

…..

**Chapter XLII: Folly**

(Rachel and Jenna)

Jenna Doran almost wet herself. The van lurched on the highway, swerving wildly into the next lane for a moment before she corrected the steering wheel. _What the fuck? Berry was supposed to be out of it? _

She heard a high pitched whining sound a split second before her neck was grabbed from behind, then Rachel Berry viciously threatened her.

**"I have a Taser an inch away from your neck. I swear to god I will fucking zap you until you piss yourself senseless if you do not stop this fucking van this very instant." **

Jenna nearly pissed herself just from the threat alone, she slowed her speed considerably but didn't stop. There were cars all around them. It's a wonder they didn't crash when Berry started to screech at her. It wouldn't be safe to just stop in the middle of the highway. The roads were icy and slick, so she continued to slow down and hoped she could buy herself a little time with the crazy diva, but then the little freak upped her level of cuckoo to infinity and beyond.

**"ABORT! ABORT!… BRITTANY ATE THE YOGURT! THEY GAVE HER AN OVERDOSE. _MOVE IN NOW! MOVE IN NOW!_**

_Berry was shrieking like a lunatic, shouting over her shoulder at the back of the van. Holy Fuck?_

Then suddenly, like the flip of a switch, the raving singer seemed to regain her self control. She lowered her voice and spat out orders; her tone was ice cold fury.

**"**I SAID stop this fucking Van, Jenna, or I'll fry your fucking brains out. Brittany's heart is barely beating! You gave her a bloody overdose you STUPID… FUCKING… CUNT!"

_Oh nuts, _Jenna always knew that Rachel Berry was strung pretty tight, but had no idea she could be so ruthlessly intimidating. _Berry sounded like a goddam terminator._

Rachel couldn't understand why Kurt and Mercedes, or Quinn and Santana, or Tina and Artie were not surrounding the van in their vehicles. She couldn't see their cars anywhere. Quinn and Santana had to know what was going on! They were monitoring everything on Rachel's laptop. _Where the fuck were they?_

Jenna was completely flummoxed. Berry was losing her marbles, but that wasn't altogether unusual. This whole situation was thoroughly confusing. First of all; why was Rachel Berry even conscious ? And secondly; who the hell was she screaming, "Abort! Abort!" at? The swim team captain tried to maintain her position on the highway, driving very slow, in hopes of appeasing Berry's lunacy, but at the same time not crash them on the icy roads. She tried to talk some sense into the diva, while simultaneously pondering over the word Berry had shouted at the ceiling. Overdose? What did she mean by _overdose?_

"Berry, I'll do what you said. I'll pull over as soon as there's a safe place to stop. The roads are icy, if I try and stop now we'll cause a pile up on the highway… just another quarter mile and I can take the next exit, okay?"

But the crazy bitch was still shrieking at the ceiling of the van.

_**"Where are you? Brittany needs to go to the hospital! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" **_

The little diva was having a full on meltdown with that Taser hovering just centimeters from Jenna's neck. She could feel the humming vibration, the coiled electricity just barely reined in, she could sense the looming catastrophe if Rachel Berry didn't gather her wits. The singer was all out bawling now. Big fat tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her hand was trembling with that Taser. _Oh fuck! We'll all die if she zaps me while I'm driving._

…..

(Santana)

Deputy Minnie Sparkle had done the unthinkable. She gathered up the glee club moments after Rachel and Brittany had left for The Yogurt Palace. The gleeks were all at Rachel's house, loading themselves into their assigned vehicles when their friend, the Deputy, arrived with Peter and an unknown female officer.

"I know you all had different plans for today, but I will not allow you to interfere with this police maneuver. You were warned, Quinn…Santana. " She paused for a moment to make eye contact with the girls and nod at them with what seemed like regret. "You brought me into this to help, now you have to let us do our job. Peter and Officer Engstrom will escort all of you to headquarters until this situation is resolved."

Peter was stuck between what seemed like a mountain and a hard place. He had come to know and love this group of teens, the looks of shock and betrayal they were shooting in his direction were felt deeply. However, after discussing matters with Minnie the previous evening, he had no qualms in his decision to help her keep them restrained.

"Alright you lot, put away the nasty glares! You all know as well as I do, if you muck around in this take down that you're only going to help that little pervert Nate. You all know how this will play out…Quinn? Santana? Puck?" Peter appealed to the three he knew best. His sparkly blue eyes were tempered steel and the determination with which he spoke seemed to finally settle on the teens.

"We just went through this with the Schmanson trial. The lawyers will be all over the school again to make this about that practical joker. Do you really want to go through all of that again? Minnie's got everything covered. You all did good work, but now you need to let her do things by the book."

He paused for a moment to make sure the kids were listening before continuing. "Now, I told Minnie you would all hang out with me today…ah, um… so this wouldn't seem so official. So, all you gotta do is load yourselves into my van and we'll just head on down to the station. I'm sure it won't be long 'til this is all over. Diedre (Officer Engstrom) is going to keep us company so Minnie can get to work without worrying about what you kids might get up to."

Quinn and Santana shared a private, nonverbal conversation of some sort. It involved intense, penetrating, stony eyed staring and very subtle eye blinking with mostly nonexistent bobbing of heads. Several moments later the gleeks were on their way to headquarters, riding along with Peter in a van they were quite familiar with.

The real tragedy was Quinn and Santana's sins of omission. The lies they told by saying nothing. Their instincts were good; meaning they knew it would be safer for Rachel and Brittany to have the real police involved in bringing Nate Minetti down. However, they were unwilling to put everything on the line. Unwilling to reveal the lengths they had gone through to gather their intel.

They shared absolutely _nothing _concerning the _'surveillance aspect'_ of Operation Demented Duo. Oh, they told Minnie and the Captain of their plans to follow the minivan. They also shared the details of their intended stake out at Grammy's Place. But they didn't reveal the bugs and cameras planted at both locations, including Jenna and Nate's vehicles. The Cheerios concluded that if Minnie knew about their breaking and entering, and thieving of keys, and hacking of secret codes; that the Deputy may be required to arrest them too. She may even feel compelled to do so before the Op was set in motion. That was a risk neither Quinn nor Santana was willing to take.

So it was that the gleeks, and Peter, and Officer Diedre Engstrom, were 'hanging out' together in a holding room at headquarters with Rachel's laptop computer. The Cheerios opened the laptop casually, as though they were going to do some harmless surfing, but didn't fool the rest of the gleeks. Santana and Quinn were quickly surrounded. Quinn finished the keyboard command that called up the feeds to Jenna's van just as Artie wheeled up to squeeze himself into a position between Sam and Mercedes.

This is what they heard: **"ABORT! ABORT!… BRITTANY ATE THE YOGURT! THEY GAVE HER AN OVERDOSE. **_**MOVE IN NOW! MOVE IN NOW!**_

And what they saw: Rachel holding the Taser at Jenna's throat, screaming at the ceiling in the back of the van and, basically, losing her mind.

And then…

"I said stop this fucking Van, Jenna, or I'll fry your fucking brains out. Brittany's heart is barely beating! You gave her a bloody overdose you STUPID…FUCKING…CUNT!"

OH…MY…GOD!

The volume was loud enough that Peter caught most of Rachel's shouting and ranting. He was on top of the kids in a split second. _FUCK! _He should have known that Rachel would have used surveillance! Why hadn't they shared this with the police?

**"Diedre" **Peter shouted at their escort Officer, who was staring out the window and absently sipping a cup of coffee, _**"Move in on the van, call it in to Minnie **__**NOW**_**, **_**move in on the van NOW… and send an ambulance.**_**"**

Time seemed to slow down for Santana. She could see Brittany's limp form on the floor of that minivan. She could hear Rachel's threats, and tears, and hysteria, but the information was being processed in super slow motion for her. _'Theeeyyyy gaaavvve herrr annn overrrdossse…Briitttany'sss heartttt issss barrrelyyy beeeatingggg.' _The words were just stretchy sounds, as though she was hearing them under water, trying to decipher the elongated pronunciation without the understanding for what the sounds meant when cobbled together.

Another pleading scream from Rachel finally shattered the Latina's temporary dysphasia.

_**"Where are you? Brittany needs to go to the hospital! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" **_

And that was all it took for Santana to finally react. The combination of Rachel's caustic threats to Jenna, and Brittany lying listless on the floor, propelled her into swift action.

Santana ran.

She bolted for the door, tore it open, and raced down the hallway.

Officer Engstrom had her back to the room of teens. She was screaming into her police radio, frantically relaying the details to Deputy Minnie Sparkle as Santana Lopez made her not so subtle escape.

Somewhere, in the back of the Latina's mind she could hear muffled shouts at her back, people screaming at her to _STOP_, _WAIT_, but that seemed so foggy and far away. Suddenly, she was in the parking lot ripping open the door of Peter's van. The keys were in the sun visor where he always left them. The only concrete thought that Santana held was: I have to get to Brittany. In her panicked mind was the knowledge that Jenna was driving them to Grammy's Place.

Santana took a right turn out of the parking lot and sped off down the highway. Her brain and her body were on auto pilot. She was going to fix this. She would fix everything right now. Grabbing the wheel tightly and pressing the pedal to the metal, she sped away in Peter's borrowed van.

….

(Rachel and Jenna)

Rachel finally stopped screaming. Jenna was slowing down and would do as she said, or Rachel would simply Tase her, yank her out of the drivers seat and drive Brittany to the hospital herself. As much as she was falling apart inside, her only goal in this very moment was to get Brittany to the hospital. So, just as they were approaching that exit Jenna mentioned, Rachel began a speech designed to terrify the swim team captain into compliance.

"You are in really big trouble Jenna. And so is your sister Kristie. If you are lucky, all you will get is kidnapping and attempted murder charges. If Brittany dies... you will wish that you died too. If Brittany dies, Jenna, your life is over and so is Kristie's."

Jenna was shocked to the core at what Berry was saying. _Murder? Kidnapping?_ _This was just a joke, Nate wouldn't really put an overdose in would he?_

"What the hell are you talking about Berr-"

**"SHUT! UP!" **Rachel raised her voice again, but lowered it back to calm and controlled once the swimmer stopped interrupting.

"Now, when you turn off on this exit you are to drive directly to the hospital. If you care about Kristie at all, Jenna, and I sincerely hope you have _some_ capacity to feel…you will do as I say. You are already caught. We bugged the Yogurt Palace, this stupid van, and Grammy's Place. Everything you have said and done has been filmed and recorded. So, Jenna, the only thing you have going for you right now is to get Brittany to the hospital, and pray to God you haven't killed her."

Rachel took a deep breath and continued to talk as Jenna finally turned off at the exit. They were going slow enough now, that if Rachel Tased the bitch, she was fairly certain she could stop them safely and pull Jenna out of the drivers seat if she had to. Tears were still pouring out of Rachel's eyes, her voice was strained from trying to contain the panic and fear she was feeling, but she had to keep it together if she was going to get Brittany to safety.

"Your only way out of a life time prison sentence is to give up your rapist boyfriend. You were stupid enough to let him talk you into drugging us…instead of making him do it himself. His dirty hands are clean and shiny, while, once again, you get to cover up his filthy messes. Is he really worth all that Jenna? Is protecting a rapist pig like Nate Minetti really that important? Is he more important than Kristie? You better think long and hard on that question, Jenna, because when this is all over that is going to be the choice you will have to make."

Jenna Doran continued to drive as Rachel Berry held a charged Taser to her neck, all the while threatening her with poisonous words. She had no choice but to listen to the little diva spout off, in rambling paragraphs, the looming nightmare of her probable future. _Oh fuck. _Was all the swim team captain could think. _Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. _

Jenna continued to drive the van in the direction of the hospital, while Rachel Berry proceeded with her maniacal meltdown. Her voice was trembling and shaky, tears were dripping onto Jenna's head off the little diva's cheeks, and yet, Rachel Berry's hand was holding onto that Taser with a vice like grip.

Everything that Berry had said was sinking in. _Everything. Nate had promised her that Kristie wouldn't be caught up in this if something went wrong._ _ Nate had promised her a lot of things_… But before Jenna could finish her thought there were sirens flashing all around the van.

A brown sedan with a red flashing bubble on top pulled up beside her. A lady with a gun was flashing a badge and pointing for her to pull over. Behind the minivan was a black SUV with another flashing bubble on the dash. From the opposite direction an ambulance was racing towards them. _Holy fuck! Everything that Berry said was true. She did have the van bugged. _

Jenna pulled the minivan over.

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief and started to tremble with the release of pent up fear and anxiety. She told herself that it was unintentional, that her hand slipped, because she was _so_ _relieved_ to see that ambulance coming she forgot about the Taser. _Yes, that's what happened, she forgot she was holding the Taser; that was why her hand slipped._

The final thought rolling through Jenna Doran's mind was _Oh my fucking God!_ when that fully charged Taser made contact with the back of her neck.

"…..eeeeeeeek…."

…_._

_(Santana)_

Santana tore into Grammy's driveway, nearly ramming the decorative cedar hedge with her reckless driving, but she couldn't be bothered to care. Where were they? Where was that damned minivan? Maybe Rachel got Jenna to take Brittany to the hospital after all, but she had to be sure. She exited Peter's van and slammed the door, leapt up the three steps to Grammy's porch, and wasting no time on niceties, bulldozed through the front door. She didn't knock, and she didn't give a fuck if she had to kick the door in.

The door happened to be unlocked, and hanging around in Grammy's front room were a group of five boys who seemed to be waiting in anticipation. They were pacing about the room smiling, and laughing, and joking. Waiting, ever so patiently, for Jenna Doran to deliver two unconscious girls into their lecherous arms.

Yes, what they were waiting for, and what they received, were entirely different scenarios.

Santana Lopez became the Tasmanian Devil: a whirling dervish, a fury, an angel of wrath. Call it whatever you want but the five swimmers were completely unprepared for such an unexpected onslaught.

Santana tackled Nate to the floor before he could even process what was happening. Straddling his waist, she pounded his face with her fists at least five times before Brian Grant and Billy Purdy tried to pull her off of him. A wrenching twist and two solid, well placed kicks later, had both swimmers doubled over in pain, clutching at their family jewels.

The other two boys in the room (Jonathan Specks and Reggie Davies) seemed to think better of trying to come between Santana Lopez and her target. As a matter of fact, they thought it might be a good idea to leave. Because, _this _was _not _what was supposed to happen! This was _not at all_ what they were expecting. But before Jonathan and Reggie could put their fleeing thoughts to motion, the room was flooded with cops. _Oh God! _Not just any old cops either, these were SWAT TEAM COPS. _Oh no!_

Elsewhere in the room, Santana had turned her attention back to Nate, who was scrambling to get off the floor. She was wearing her Special Ops outfit, which meant the black gear. The black hoodie, the black trooper pants, and the black army boots. She slammed the heel of her heavy boot into the boys chest to pin him back onto the floor; she then proceeded to kick him in the ribs, the stomach and the groin. All the while she was screaming and raging like a madwoman.

**"Where are they Nate?"** (kick) ** "Where the fuck are they?" **(kick) **"What have you done to Brittany and Rachel you pig?" **(kick) **"Where the fuck are the…-"**

Then, suddenly, the Latina was truly restrained. Arms of steel encircled her firmly from behind, entrapping her arms and tightening around her chest. The grip was solid and unrelenting. Her captor stepped back, pulling the struggling Cheerio away from the sobbing swimmer on the floor. Santana continued to kick her legs wildly, desperately trying to land another blow. Nate was curled up into a fetal position wailing like a baby.

"Shshh….Santana it's me, Gillian." Captain Monroe spoke in a gentle, calming tone. "Please stop struggling. Brittany's at the hospital with Rachel, and Minnie has Jenna in custody. Please stop fighting me." All the while Gillian was speaking in that calm soothing tone, her SWAT Officers were clicking handcuffs into place upon the swimmer's wrists. Even Nate Minetti, once it was determined that he wouldn't die from Santana's brutal beating. They pulled his arms behind his back as he wailed upon the floor and snapped the cuffs upon his wrists with a practiced efficiency.

Santana's brain finally registered who was restraining her so she relaxed in the firm embrace.

"Okay now?" Was whispered into her ear.

Nod.

"What's happening to Brittany? Is…is she… okay? Did they really use an overdose like Rachel said?" Santana choked on that last word and would have collapsed if Gillian hadn't been holding her up.

Gillian spun the Cheerio around, she held her by the shoulders tightly, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I honestly don't know Santana. Let me give my team some final orders and I will drive you to the hospital myself. I promise, everything that can possibly be done to make Brittany well is being done. Do you believe me Santana?

Nod.

"Can I let you go now without having to use handcuffs?" The redheaded Captain asked. She remembered Minnie's tale of how the fiery Latina behaved at the Hanson scene; she wasn't entirely certain that she could take Santana at her word, especially after witnessing what she'd just done to their primary suspect!

"I'll behave Captain Monroe. All I want to do now is get to Brittany." Tears were pouring in streams down the Cheerio's cheeks and Gillian couldn't help herself. Professionalism be damned; she pulled Santana into a hug and squeezed her tight.

Santana sniffled, once, twice, and finally, just fell apart in the Swat Team Captain's arms.

….

(Brittany)

The waiting room was filled to the brim. Brittany's parents, Santana's parents, Hiram and Leroy Berry, Judy Fabray, Peter, the entire glee club including Finn and Mr. Schue. Jeremy Miller, David Karofsky, Cindy Bingham and Giles Deroche were there as well. Deputy Minnie Sparkle, Captain Gillian Monroe and Officer Diedre Engstrom. All of them waiting, and worried, and scared.

A voice was cleared, then Dr. Lily Willis began to update Brittany's friends and family.

"She's in a coma. I believe it will be temporary. We have her intubated and on a ventilator to help her breathe for now. GHB causes respiratory depression… this means her lungs and respiratory system can't function properly. The good news is the drug should move through her system rapidly. We're very lucky she was brought in so quickly, she won't suffer any organ failure or heart problems because we were able to stabilize her respiratory system immediately. I believe Brittany will have a full recovery."

The Doctor paused for a moment to look at the concerned but relieved faces in the room. She realized she needed to let some of them see her patient.

"Now, I know you all want to see Brittany, but I will only allow a few of you. She isn't conscious and won't be for a while yet. Also, you should know she's hooked up to a ventilator and that looks very scary. This is only temporary, but whoever goes back to see her should prepare themselves. Decide amongst yourselves who will go in. You can have fifteen minutes to sit with her but that is all for now. Give it a few more hours and we'll allow more of you to visit."

Mr. and Mrs. Pierce had already been updated and they had already visited with Brittany. They nodded at Santana who was seated beside them. She stood on shaky legs but managed to make it over to Quinn and Rachel, who were seated with Hiram, Leroy and Judy. With Santana in the middle, the three of them clasped hands, and followed the nurse who would lead them into intensive care.

Because Dr. Willis prepared them for the ventilator, seeing it wasn't as awful as it might have been. But it was still awful. Their friend was surrounded by and hooked up to beeping equipment. But, even with the alien equipment, and the ugly tube going into her mouth, Brittany still exuded a calm serenity. She wasn't dead. She wasn't going to die. She was just sleeping. Resting. That was what the girls told themselves as they looked upon that precious face. Her long blonde eyelashes fluttered minutely, and that, somehow, was more reassuring than anything the Doctor had told them.

The three friends pulled their chairs as close to Brittany as they could. Of the three, Quinn was keeping it together for the sake of the other two. Santana and Rachel both had their faces planted on the edge of Brittany's bed, both of them sobbing and sniffling into the blankets. Rachel was blaming herself and half expecting Santana to blame her as well.

"We're quitting the Play. (sniffle).. It's all my fault, I should have just left Nate alone at school. (sob…sniffle..) I shouldn't have threatened him at that party. It's all my fault…. I should have just…(sob, sob, sob) let the police catch him…(sniffle)….sob. She had already cried a river of tears and there was no indication that she would ever stop.

It was heartbreaking to watch Rachel fall apart. She was so much more broken over what had happened to Brittany than what had happened to her during the Schmanson Incident. Santana pulled herself into a seated position and fiercely wiped her tear stained face. She glanced over at Quinn, who was softly stroking Rachel's back, and nodded assuredly at her friend. Quinn returned the nod and smiled weakly, her own eyes seemed permanently welled; she held her tears in place like a shield against a storm.

Santana sighed and exhaled deeply. She was okay. Brittany would be okay. But, Christ, if she let this go on any longer, Rachel would end up in a bed next to Brittany. Rachel was borderline hysterical. Santana would put a stop to this right now. Her hands were bandaged and sore; two of the fingers were splinted as she broke the knuckles on Nate Minetti's face. But still, she reached out to gently comb through Rachel's tangled hair, she slid off her chair and grasped at shaking shoulders.

"Turn around Tiny and look at me." Santana commanded, but Rachel continued to sob.

"Rachel, Brittany ate the Yogurt for Regina Hughes. It's not your fault. It's not my fault. It's not even Brittany's fault…it's Nate Minetti's fault.

He raped Regina at a party last year, and Regina told Brittany in the bathroom after it happened. She was crying and babbling incoherently, but Brittany could tell that Nate had given her something because she was completely out of it. So… Britt took Regina home and took care of her that night. The next day at school Brittany told Jenna what Nate had done. She thought Jenna should know what her boyfriend was really like, and naively, she thought she could gain some support for Regina.

Everyone knows what happened next. Jenna started that horrible rumor about Regina allowing the swim team to gang bang her in the boys locker room. It only took one week of harassment and denigration for Regina to crumble and transfer schools."

Rachel was sitting up now, listening to Santana, her big doe eyes were leaking profusely, but she was caught up in Santana's words. Her shoulders stopped shaking and her breathing became calmer. Quinn continued to stroke her back and Santana cupped her chin gently before finishing her story.

"Rachel, you need to know that Brittany never forgave herself for what happened to Regina. She felt like she had victimized Regina just as much as Nate and Jenna had. She ate the Yogurt because she knew, Rachel. She knew with a certainty that he had to be caught in the act of hurting someone… there had to be a trail of evidence that could be traced.

Brittany became the evidence Rachel. I didn't understand why, at first either, but I understand now. Brittany needed to do this Rachel… " Sniffle, sob… "…she wanted to do it…so, please Rachel? Please stop blaming yourself? Brittany doesn't want that…" Sob, sniffle…"and neither do I…Okay?"

"Okay." Was barely whispered before the three girls huddled together in a crushing embrace.

**To be continued.**

_Things will brighten up considerably in the next chapter. I'll wrap up this little drama and you'll get a highlight of the next two scenes in Rachel's Play. This story has only three more chapters so the end is near._

_I appreciate any and all feedback, thanks so much to all of you who continue to read and review. :)_


	42. Hallelujah

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

…

_Okay, so I promised brightness in this chapter, but it doesn't really leap off the page (or computer screen) and blind you. This is mostly a wrap up of the drama, and a setting up for a change in tone with the glee club as a result. It's short, but I wanted to get you all an update for the holidays._

_Also, on a side note: I deleted a chapter that was just a note about a 'delay' when my computer crashed awhile back. It screwed up all my chapter numbers. Hopefully, those of you who get the story alert for chapter 42 will realize this is a new chapter._

**Chapter XLII: Hallelujah**

_Monday (New Years Day)_

_**ALL STAR SWIMMER ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER, SEXUAL ASSAULT, KIDNAPPING, AND POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO SELL.**_

_A local high school athlete was arrested on Friday, Dec 29th. _

_Nate Minetti, the captain and star of the McKinley High School swim team, was picked up on Friday afternoon in a police raid. The charges filed by the Prosecuting Office are as follows: Two counts of attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of attempted sexual assault, seven counts of drug facilitated sexual assault, nine counts of illegal distribution of a controlled substance, and one count of possession with intent to sell. _

_Mr. Minetti is being held without bail. Five minors were also arrested, they were released on bail to the custody of their parents until arraignment. The eighteen year old swimmer will be charged as an adult and is being represented by local defense attorney Trevor Parker. _

Rachel finished reading the very short, yet succinct article; it made the front page of the Lima Ledger, below the fold. The photograph of Nate was a mug shot, which very clearly showed two black eyes, a fat lip, and multiple bruises and scrapes upon his face. _Wow! It's amazing that Santana has only two broken knuckles?_ Rachel mused, she tossed the paper on the empty chair next to her and shook her head in wonder with the knowledge that Mr. Trevor Parker was taking on Nate's case. Apparently, Mr. Parker was determined to finish out his 'careening calamitous career' by defending teenage psychopaths and rapist lecherous pigs.

Quinn and Santana had gone to the hospital cafeteria to get them all some coffee, leaving her alone to sit with Brittany. Brittany was sleeping peacefully, she would be going home tomorrow after some final tests in the morning to make sure all her 'levels,' or something like that, were back to normal.

Sigh…

Rachel didn't know what to think or how to feel. Brittany was alive and well and seemingly unaffected by what happened to her. In fact, she appeared to be pleased, although she was still exhausted physically. Somewhere, just beneath the surface, Rachel was furious with her friend for putting her through that frightening ordeal. Outwardly, she was just so goddamned relieved that Brittany survived. Rachel wasn't at the stage of feeling good about anything yet; she wondered if she ever would be.

"Rach?"

Rachel wiped her eyes reflexively, she hadn't even noticed she was crying again. Focusing on her lap seemed easier than looking Brittany in the eye just now.

"Rachel…I know you're upset with me, and that's okay. Remember when I was mad at you because of Stephanie? I was mad because I was scared. I get it Rach. People get scared when someone they love is hurt, especially when it happens by surprise. I'm really sorry Rachel, and I know you're confused and don't know how to feel and that's okay too, because I'm going to help you now."

Brittany continued to talk and Rachel continued to stare at her lap, all the while tears kept streaming down her cheeks in rivulets.

This was the first time that she and Brittany had been alone together since their arrival at the hospital on Friday. Brittany's recovery was fast and the visitors were many. Now, the room was blessedly empty, except for the clutter of get well cards, the myriad of flowers, the stuffed unicorns and kittens of every variety. The subtle scent of Lavender was easing its way from a bouquet in the corner of the room; the fragrance floated above and around, slowly overpowering the previously pervading ginger. _Lavender and Ginger? That's an interesting blend of aroma's, _Rachel reflected, understanding she was trying to avoid this conversation with her friend.

Somehow, she found herself suspended in Brittany's 'VOID.' Fully comprehending what it really meant this time. Well, Brittany jumped in the hole this time, with two feet, and she dragged Rachel along with her. The balance was all wacky. She felt like she was up in the air, all alone on that teeter totter, just waiting for it to crash into the ground; she had felt that way ever since that hair-raising ride with Jenna.

When your life is full and balanced with relationships that make your existence precious and meaningful, and you work hard each day to nurture each connection; your life becomes a beautiful garden that you are happy to tend. The weeds are manageable as long as you don't allow them take root. Rachel had a rogue weed; it grew fast, sending stringers out in every direction. Shoots of helplessness and worry, vines of impending doom, and fear; multiple buds of grief, and anger, and frustration; all of which were twisted into a knot of suffocating sadness…"Sniffle."

"Come here Rachel…please?" Brittany's soft plea crumbled what was left of Rachel's shaky resolve; suddenly, she was climbing upon the bed and burying her face in Brittany's stalwart shoulder. Strong arms encircled her tiny frame. She felt the top of her head being kissed and gentle reassuring words were whispered into her ear.

"I'm sorry Rachel, I'm so sorry…shssh…I'm okay now, and Nate doesn't get to hurt anybody ever again."

Sniffle…

"I know that doesn't make it right…what I did…I mean the way I scared everyone, and you especially because you had to protect me. I knew you would Rachel. You're so smart, I just _knew_ that you would know what to do…"

Sniffle...

"…I…I didn't even think he was dumb enough to use an overdose, I just thought he would use enough to make us pass out…"

Sniffle….

"…but it doesn't matter now, Rachel, because it all turned out right. You'll forgive me because you know I love you… and you know I didn't mean to hurt you. You'll be sad and scared for a little while yet, but it will get better every day. Every day you see that I'm just the same as I was before…

Sob...Sniffle…

"You'll see, you just have to give it a little time…okay Rach?" Brittany was stroking Rachel's shoulders and back while pressing tender kisses to the top of her head.

Sniffle...

Santana and Quinn returned just in time to witness their girlfriends blubbering in one another's arms. The Cheerios Captain, and her Second, shrugged their shoulders simultaneously, placed the steaming cups of coffee on the night stand, then proceeded with a celebratory fist bump. Yes! This is exactly what they hoped would happen.

Santana climbed onto the bed, traversing the bundle of Rachel and Brittany, inserting herself as the Big Spoon, gathering them both into a snug, protective, all encompassing hug. Quinn would have joined in but didn't think the narrow bed could contain all four of them across its width. Instead, she settled at the foot, petting the intertwined legs, smiling fondly, and exhaling a sigh of deep relief.

…_.._

Deputy Minnie Sparkle navigated the sterile hallways with a purpose. Brittany had been moved to a private room on the fifth floor. The Deputy slowed down her pace as she entered the stairwell, wanting the time to think while climbing the stairs in lieu of using the elevator. However much she tried to suppress the traitorous memory, tried to ignore the niggling, taunting, self-recriminations; it all came down to that stupid meeting. The private meeting she and Gillian held with Rachel and Brittany's parents.

_"Is this happening again because of the pranks at the school?" _

_Leroy Berry asked the Deputy, his deep brown eyes were huge, sad, and filled with concern._

_" I don't think so Mr. Berry…bu-" _

_Leroy waved his hand impatiently at the Deputy, interrupting her response, then snorted out an incredulous laugh._

_"Please Minnie, I think you can call me Leroy. I know you're trying to be professional, as is proper, but we have all gotten to know each other quite well in the last month. Please, just tell me straight, not as a police officer, but as someone who cares about my daughter and Brittany."_

_Minnie nodded and smiled at Leroy. She gestured to Gillian to come fully into the room and both the officers seated themselves at the Pierce's dining room table. This meeting was being held at Brittany's home because the girls were scheming with the glee club in Rachel's Lab Oratory._

_Both Officers were dressed for duty, making it clear that they had come here in an official capacity. They were, for all intents and purposes, asking these parents to allow their daughters to act as bait. For Hiram and Leroy this was not their first experience with such disturbing circumstances._

_"Alright Leroy," Minnie replied, while taking a sip of the coffee Michele Pierce had placed in front of her. "I'll get right to the point. I believe Rachel and Brittany will be in more danger from this boy if we cancel tomorrow. We have no evidence against him. All we have is hearsay from Giles Deroche and Cindy Bingham. We have four girls who have filed official complaints against Nate Minetti, and three more, that we know of, who were too frightened of his retaliation. _

_He uses GHB; otherwise known as the date rape drug. Most of the girls go home and cry, some of them don't remember the details because of the dissociative effect of the drug. If they do remember and feel safe enough to tell their parents, by the time they get the rape kits done, and the blood tests done, the drug has already moved through their system. It then becomes a case of 'he said, she said.' Unfortunately, that boy is very intelligent. He makes sure to give the girls a small dose, a dose that makes them amenable and compliant. He makes a very big show of being kind and attentive in public, gets the girls to allow him to kiss them in front of an audience, and then he lures them away and rapes them._

_The boy is a practiced predator. Quinn informed me that Rachel confronted him at a party last year. She called him out on his behavior and taunted him with Sheriff Ricky. He's had a grudge against Rachel ever since. I firmly believe he won't let this go Leroy. Rachel is too much of a threat to him. If we confront him, and let him know we're on to his little scheme, all he'll do is postpone and try again another time._

_This is an opportunity to catch him by surprise. If what Quinn and Santana told me is accurate, the boy will be hiding in the kitchen at The Yogurt Palace. He will have the drug with him and will dose the yogurt himself. The girls won't be in any danger. We'll be right there, and we'll be at the other location as well. I can't tell you how disturbing it is to know that six other students are participating in this ugly crime. I also think it's in the best interest of everyone if we catch them all._

_According to Quinn and Santana, the plan is for Rachel and Brittany to pretend to eat the yogurt, then feign passing out. They will slip the yogurt samples into evidence bags giving us the proof we need. We can move in at The Yogurt Palace, but we'll risk our opportunity to prove Nate's intent at that point. If we allow Jenna to drive them to the second location, we'll be able to prove kidnapping and hopefully attempted rape with the evidence we gather there. The plus side of going through to the second location is we'll also nab Nate's accomplices. This evidence will give credence to all the other reports filed against Nate, establishing his pattern of behavior. If we catch his accomplices, we'll be able to bargain with their testimony. The others will give Nate up if they're looking at kidnapping and attempted rape charges. And it's Nate we want. Believe me Leroy, Hiram…Mr. and Mrs. Pierce. I fully understand if you don't want your children to participate… " _

_Minnie paused here to meet the eyes of each parent, nodding solemnly to reinforce how seriously she had considered everything._

_"…but I do feel confident, that between Gillian's team and my own, that neither of the girls will come to any harm…"_

Oh God. Minnie wished she could have those words back. Have that whole meeting back. She never, for a moment, believed that either girl would be at risk. Brittany's parents were amazingly forgiving and astonished the Deputy with heartfelt thanks for getting their daughter to the hospital so quickly. Santana's explanation of Brittany's motive had smoothed the ruffled feathers of all the parents. Unfortunately, Sheriff Ricky was not so understanding. Ah, well, that didn't really matter right now. What mattered was the news she had to deliver to the meddlesome teenagers.

Minnie wanted to deliver the news personally, but also, she just wanted to see Brittany again; to re-confirm in her mind that the wonderful (and exasperating) girl was truly on the mend. The Deputy hesitated at the door before going into the room; she took a moment to spy through the window, but also, to run her fingers through her tangled hair. The wind was gusting today; it turned her naturally wavy locks into a virtual birds nest.

Santana and Rachel were both snuggled up to Brittany; one on either side, with Quinn stretched across the foot of the bed gazing fondly at all three. Brittany glanced at the door and spotted Minnie watching them, she smiled brightly, unclasped her hand from Rachel's to wildly wave an invitation to 'come in.'

Minnie sauntered into the room wearing a crooked grin. She loved these kids! But, boy oh boy was she ever pissed at them. Now, however, was not the time to have it out with them. Grabbing one of the empty chairs, she swung it around to straddle the seat while folding her arms upon the backrest casually. The four of them were smiling vaguely, but the expressions were so varied it was hard to tell what any of them were truly feeling.

Except for Brittany. Brittany looked genuinely happy.

"Hello DeputyMinnieSparkle!" The blonde girl greeted her. Those bright blue eyes twinkled with amusement, as though she knew that Minnie would love to dig right in and start the lecture.

"Brittany!" The Deputy exclaimed with affection, "I can't express how good it is to see your sparkly blue eyes and that incorrigible smile! You gave us quite a scare…" Minnie's voice trailed off, she didn't know how to complete the rest of her sentence, but then she grinned, filling in the gap with a standard reminder. "…remember Brittany, we know each other well enough that you can call me Minnie. I really prefer that you would."

Brittany bobbed her head in agreement before launching into a sincere thank you, which was followed by a earnest apology.

"Okay Minnie, I'm so happy to see you. Thank you so much for taking care of Rachel and me, and San and Quinn too. Where is CaptainMonroe? I…I mean, where is Gillian? I want to thank her too. I know you guys got into trouble because of me, and I'm really, really, _really sorry_. But, if I told anyone what I was planning to do, that would have spoiled everything… and, um, I _really_ wanted Nate to get caught."

Rachel eased herself from Brittany's side and gravitated south to where Quinn was sitting. Quinn inched over so Rachel could cuddle in beside her. Santana and Brittany pushed themselves into a sitting position; the Latina wrapped her arm around Brittany's shoulder before turning her gaze upon Deputy Minnie Sparkle. She spoke volumes with just one stoney eyed glare: _don't you dare upset my girl or I will rip your throat out!_

The Deputy acknowledged Santana's glare with an amused grin and a wink. Minnie didn't even consider responding to Brittany's last sentence because it was all moot at this point. Nate was in prison and Brittany was alive and well. That was a win win in her book. Consequences be damned, she and Gillian would ride out the hellfire Ricky Berry was raining down upon them. Geeze, if Brittany could be so damned cheerful after what happened to her, then she could certainly deal with a smudge, or two, or three, upon her previously unblemished career.

"I've come to share some good news."

All four girls perked up a bit at Minnie's statement, they could certainly handle a little good news just now.

" Rachel will be charged with, 'the concealing and possession of an unregistered weapon,' and Santana will be charged with, 'simple assault.' "

Silence…

"Ahh…forgive me for stating the obvious, Minnie, but what, exactly, is your definition of _good news?_" Quinn asked with an arched eyebrow, her voice was dripping sarcasm.

"Oh…um…sorry… I guess I could have phrased that differently." Minnie straightened up in her chair, sighed deeply, shoved her wild hair out of face and tried again.

"We managed to lessen the charges against both Rachel and Santana. Rachel won't be charged with assault because, as her statement _claims_... ' Her hand slipped ' …even though Jenna's statement contradicts that claim. The circumstances were such that, unless the Prosecutor procures the video from the van…." Minnie let her words trail off, warning Rachel with her gaze, making sure the little diva understood that video should disappear for all eternity.

"Anyway…" Minnie continued. " Tasers have to be registered by the owner in Ohio, and they can't be concealed in public. So, um, you'll have to do some community service, Rachel, which we'll talk about in a minute. Santana's assault on Nate was reduced to, 'simple assault,' instead of the much more serious, 'aggravated assault.'

The Prosecutor has to charge her because there were so many witnesses. Nate's eyes were black and swollen, there were multiple scratches on his face, his lip was split and he lost two teeth…ah…um… if she hadn't kicked him...again and again, and _again_, after he was already down on the floor… she could have gotten away with self-defense, maybe… although that would have been a reach… but, still… um…"

All four girls were looking at Minnie as though she had two heads. Two heads and speaking in tongues, with fire shooting out of her mouth.

Oops.

"I hate to be a party pooper, DeputyMinnieSparkle…but when will you be getting to the _good news_ part?" Brittany asked, her big blue eyes were wide with wonder. Rachel, Quinn, and Santana nodded their mute agreement.

"Darn…I'm sorry, you're right, Brittany, of course. I'm just a little tired right now, let me try this again." Minnie shrugged her shoulders and smiled sheepishly at the girls.

"What I meant to say is: a deal has been worked out with the Prosecutor's Office. Because of the dire and life threatening circumstances surrounding this case, Rachel and Santana have been sentenced to two months of community service. Community service, which can be served at the school, if you both agree to tutor students; or more specifically, give singing lessons. Because you're both minors, and again, because of the unique and dire circumstances, the charges will be expunged from your record once the community service is completed."

"Gracias a Dios" Santana muttered and hopped off the bed to give Minnie a hug. Rachel and Quinn were right behind her while Brittany clapped excitedly before exclaiming, " Yay!…I think…it's time to say Yay!…Right?"

Peals of laughter...

…_._

Some little time later… after Deputy Minnie Sparkle had left, Brittany received some additional visitors.

Quinn never did get to give Rachel her twelfth gift for Christmukah. Her intent was for it to be presented at the successful conclusion of, 'Operation Demented Duo.' Sadly, the Operation was successful, but the cost seemed too high a price to pay.

And so, Quinn decided to become the 'Ghost of Christmas Future.' She was tired of the lingering resentment that was crippling the glee club. A resentment that had two names attached to it: Finn Hudson and William Schuester. When those two appeared at the hospital, openly devastated and sincerely concerned on Brittany's behalf, Quinn decided it was time to heal their broken glee club.

Brittany would be going home in the morning, so Quinn had arranged to make that twelfth Christmukah gift a _resolution_ for all of them this New Years Day.

_On the Twelfth day of Christmukah_

_my true love gave to me:_

_**Twelve Gleeks a Singing**_

_Eleven Troopers Tromping_

_Ten cameras peeping_

_Nine ladies lurking_

_Eight candles glowing_

_Seven swimmers failing_

_Six bugs a-hiding_

_Five Golden Stars_

_Four Angels Angling_

_Three Wise men_

_Two Taser guns and_

_A secret code with a spare key._

**Mr. Schuester, Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Sam, Tina, Mike, Lauren, Puck, and Artie **quietly entered Brittany's hospital room.

Sam was carrying his guitar, he tucked himself into the corner of the room and strummed it quietly while everyone else set themselves up. **Quinn and Santana** climbed off the bed to join the rest of their fellow glee clubbers. Rachel attempted to follow them but Quinn reached out to stop her; clasping the little diva's shoulders with both hands, she bent over and whispered softly onto Rachel's mouth, " This is for you Rachel." (kiss) "This is for you and Brittany." (kiss) It's a thank you from all of us for being so brave, and strong, and good." (kiss)

Those three soft kisses combined with the depth of that hazel green gaze had Rachel nearly melting into a puddle. Brittany's giggle brought her out of the trance. "Come sit with me Rach, we'll watch the show together." Rachel scurried up to snuggle with Brittany while the glee club formed a semi-circle around the bed. They all joined hands while Sam strummed the opening chords to Leonard Cohen's achingly beautiful, 'Hallelujah.'

They had all discussed this previously and agreed that Finn and Mr. Schuester could alternate in singing the lead.

Mr. Schuester used this opportunity as a first step in apologizing to Rachel (and the entire glee club) for his wishy washy inconsistent leadership. But mostly, he wanted the club to be a support system for Brittany and Rachel in the wake of such unbelievable trauma.

Finn just wanted a chance to show Rachel and Brittany how much he cared about them. What Nate did had really frightened him. Maybe the Skunker wasn't so wrong about everything after all. If Finn had done what the Skunker had asked, and set a better example at school, and stood up to some of the athletes who were bullies; maybe this wouldn't have happened. Nate and his swim team groupies had gotten really bad this year, harassing girls in the hallways and all of the boys just let them. No one stepped in and told them to stop. Finn felt horrible, and for the first time, he understood what it meant to bear the responsibility of his past inaction.

It was no secret to Quinn, nor Santana, that both Rachel and Brittany were sad about Finn and Mr. Schuester's estrangement from the group. With that in mind for New Years Day, they arranged this gathering with the hope of regaining their synchronization; as team members, but more importantly, as a family of friends who cared for one another.

'Hallelujah,' was one of Rachel's favorite songs; there was angst and grief juxtaposed with hope and faith. All of that set to a melody that is hauntingly gorgeous and brilliant.

Finn Hudson stepped forward to sing the first verse. Sam strummed the first chord with perfect timing. He accompanied beautifully, plucking out the haunting melody with sure fingers. Finn's moody Baritenor fit the song well; his current emotional state enhanced the dramatic tension posed by the lyrics.

_I've heard there was a secret chord_

_That David played, and it pleased the Lord_

_But you don't really care for music, do you?_

_It goes like this_

_The fourth, the fifth_

_The minor fall, the major lift_

_The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

(The whole of the glee club joined in with the chorus.)

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Halleluja_h

Mr. Schuester continued with the second verse, his delivery was every bit as passionate as Finn's, and by the time he finished, Rachel and Brittany were already teary eyed.

_Your faith was strong but you needed proof_

_You saw her bathing on the roof_

_Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you_

_She tied you to a kitchen chair_

_She broke your throne, and she cut your hair_

_And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah_

(Chorus/Gleeks)

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

For the third verse Finn and Mr. Schue combined their voices. Mr. Schue's tenor rose just above Finn's, elevating the already high strung tension beautifully.

_Baby I have been here before_

_I know this room, I've walked this floor_

_I used to live alone before I knew you._

_I've seen your flag on the marble arch_

_Love is not a victory march_

_It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

(Chorus/Gleeks)

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

A switch occurred, surprising them all. Kurt stepped up to take the fourth verse. He begged Finn at the last moment in the hallway. _"I must sing the fourth verse Finn! You know how I feel about this spiritual stuff. I feel __this whole song Finn, but I would really love to sing this part… please?" _ _Finn shrugged his shoulders, and nodded his agreement to Kurt's request with a goofy grin._

Kurt tapped the extremes of his vocal range, from the depths of his rich and pure countertenor, to the heights of his impossibly clear falsetto.

_There was a time when you let me know_

_What's really going on below_

_But now you never show it to me, do you?_

_And remember when I prayed to you_

_The holy ghost was present too_

_And every breath I drew was Hallelujah_

(Chorus/Gleeks)

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

And then it became a free for all, once Kurt had broken the rules. Puck made claim to the fifth verse, easing it away from Mr. Schuester with a wink and a smile. All the while Sam played his guitar with great aplomb; he never lost his place, he just adapted to the timing as the changes occurred.

_Maybe there's a God above_

_But all I've ever learned from love_

_Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you_

_It's not a cry you can hear at night_

_It's not somebody who has seen the light_

_It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah_

(Chorus/Gleeks)

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

Mercedes stole the sixth verse like a pro. At that point, the whole room was palpitating with musical synergy. This was a high they had never experienced as a group before. Mercedes strong Soprano demanded answers, infusing the lyrics with every mote of her strength and determination.

_You say I took the name in vain_

_I don't even know the name_

_But if I did, well, really, what's it to you?_

_There's a blaze of light in every word_

_It doesn't matter which you heard_

_The holy or the broken Hallelujah_

(Chorus/Gleeks)

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

(Rachel and Brittany were bawling.)

The final verse was left to Quinn and Santana to share.

Quinn's light mellow Mezzo was like a warm balmy wind soothing the soul after a day spent in agonizing heat.

_I did my best, it wasn't much_

_I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch_

_I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you_

Santana's low and sultry Soprano ushered in the setting sun.

_And even though it all went wrong_

_I'll stand before the Lord of Song_

_With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah_

(Chorus/Gleeks)

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

...Hallelujah.

…

**Merry Christmas Everyone!**

_**To Be Continued.**_

_There are a zillion interpretations of this song out there, and all kinds of speculation as to its true meaning. Rachel's spin on it is just that… a spin. No offense to Mr. Leonard Cohen and no Copyright infringement intended._

(_I did alter the lyrics slightly on the verse that Kurt sang.)_

Lyrics to 'Hallelujah' belong to Leonard Cohen.

_**Have a safe and Happy Holiday Season.**_

_Thanks so much to those of you who continue to read and review. :)_


	43. I'm Coming Out

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

_This chapter was turning into eighteen thousand words so I divided the Scenes. Now it's only ten thousand words but still a 'meaty' read. I'm sure there are some typos and awkward sentences, which I will clean up in the next couple of days. If you are someone this sort of thing 'bugs' you might want to wait a few days and read the cleaner copy. Also, smut at the very end, but it's mild smut._

…

**Chapter XLIII: " I'm Coming Out "**

On the first day after their Holiday break, and after Nate's arrest, Deputy Minnie Sparkle paid a visit to to McKinley High School. She interrupted a scheduled assembly and threatened the whole student body by declaring, "If one more Slushy gets tossed on school grounds, I will arrest every student who has ever thrown one." She then proceeded to make a promise that was very Terminator…ish, and also somewhat mysterious.

"Don't think you're all off the hook because I'm leaving. I'll be back."

And with that said, Deputy Minnie Sparkle stomped out of the auditorium, leaving the students stunned and bewildered.

The 'Coming Out' of Quinn and Rachel was supposed to happen directly after their _unfortunate misunderstanding_, meaning Quinn's irrational jealousy regarding Jeremy Miller.

The idea was they wouldn't make a big deal of it. They would just start holding hands, hug when they felt like it and maybe kiss chastely if they felt comfortable doing so. Rachel did most of those things already, she was a naturally affectionate person and hugged most of her glee friends often, she also kissed many of them on the cheek and was, generally, a kind of clingy friend once she felt safe and confident in a relationship. Quinn wasn't big on PDA anyway, so she really wasn't attached to the idea of them making out in the hallways. All she really wanted was for everyone to know that Rachel was _'hers.'_ Well, um… that Rachel was taken. She didn't want a line of boys, or girls for that matter, hovering around her girlfriend.

However, when Cindy and Giles reported that initial threat from Nate, they decided to hold off on making their relationship common knowledge throughout the school. One thing at a time, they decided, and it became more important for them to be diligent about their safety first. Now that the situation with Nate had been resolved, they decided to move forward with revealing their relationship.

It seemed as though the Planets aligned themselves perfectly for this decision, as well as for Rachel's Play. Rachel was beside herself with excitement because Deputy Minnie Sparkle agreed to time her _'Serious Intervention' _with the unfolding of the next two Scenes of her Play.

The Deputy even agreed (with the approval of Uncle Ricky) to adapt the _theme_ of her _Serious Intervention _in such a way that it would augment these Scenes. Of course Minnie didn't know, nor did Uncle Ricky, that they were unwittingly participating in Rachel's Play. They simply assumed that Rachel's request would make it easier for she and Quinn, and Brittany and Santana to 'Come Out ' at school.

…..

Rachel's popularity had risen dramatically in the last two months, as did the entire glee clubs. This rise in public opinion was not because Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce, and Noah Puckerman were hanging out with Rachel and the gleeks on a regular basis.

No, the change occurred because of a combination of events that slowly chiseled away at the previous preconception most of the kids held about the little diva. The idea that Rachel Berry was a loser. She was an annoying, fashion challenged, overly dramatic, whiney, long winded big mouth who needed to be kept in her place. Her place among the bottom feeders, the worms, the lonely lackluster losers who cluttered up the hallways, making themselves useful targets for the truly important people in the school.

That was the accepted norm, the well established and functioning social hierarchy of McKinley High School.

Until things started to change.

The first significant EVENT had been the strange way that Jeremy Miller behaved after (what was now being called) his 'Slushy Meltdown.' The shame and anger he openly displayed immediately following his slushy attack on Rachel Berry made quite an impression on the witnesses. Subsequently, his willingness to brag about his new friendship with the diva; how amazing and beautiful and warm and kind and forgiving and gush, gush, gush. _Boy, did that kid ever have it bad!_ Was the thought running through most minds after listening to the lovesick hockey player. But, it wasn't just the change of heart from the captain of the hockey team, nor the apparent true and real friendship with the Unholy Trinity and Noah Puckerman.

Other incidents were starting to stir in the minds of many of the students, who mostly just wanted to get through their school day without the worry of being harassed by a group of goons wearing lettermen jackets, or a bunch of bitches wearing flappy red skirts.

The ballsy move that Rachel made at the mock debate had a lot to do with the current deference she was given in the hallways. Pointing out to the student body how easily the Jocks had cowed and demoralized them was somewhat humiliating. But it also woke them up and pissed them off. Although, even though the students weren't at the stage of outwardly displaying their anger, they had done so passively. Well, perhaps a little _passive_ _aggressively_. By showing up at the basketball game with fly swatters, and making a huge, noisy, and verbal presence at the swim meet; the snickering and catcalling, the stomping of feet and cheering wildly while Nate Minetti floundered in the center of the pool.

Yes, the lurid underbelly of the lowly bottom feeders was starting to rise up, the beast was slowly shaking itself from an uncomfortable tormented slumber; it was emerging from the depths at the behest of The Sirens Song.

The Siren known as: The Color Coder of Cheerios, The Skunker, The Bard of Bad Poetry, The Tricky Trickster, The Stealer of Pens, The Bagger of Bloggers, The Heartless Hacker, The Mutant Messenger, The Sinker of Swimmers, The Master of Mayhem, The Maestro of Madness, and ultimately, The PrankMaster.

There was also the 'glee pee' retribution at the _first_ hockey game, and Rachel Berry's outstanding performance of Send in the Clowns during the intermission of the the _second_ hockey game. Many of the students were still in debate over which of the two games was more entertaining? According to Jacob Ben Israel's Blog, it was a very close race. 56% of the students polled thought it was more fun watching the hockey jocks get 'pelted with pee,' as opposed to the 44% who really enjoyed watching them fall on their asses; again and again and _again_!

All of these incidents revolving around Rachel and the glee club seemed to pile up, one on top of the other. Combine them with the revealing of Stephanie Hanson's bizarre attack on Rachel, the recent arrest of Nate Minetti, Jenna Doran and four other members of the swim team. Brittany Pierce had nearly died, and there were rumors that Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry had turned into _berserkers_; beating the swim team captains within an inch of their lives.

_Whoa!_

Now, put all of the above mentioned details together in the mind of a kid who just wanted a _normal_ day at school. Imagine what that kid might think upon seeing Rachel Berry, the Unholy Trinity, and the glee club walking casually down the hall towards their lockers; laughing and smiling, truly enjoying the company they were keeping.

_Wow!_

_If Rachel Berry could be harassed and slushied on a daily basis, stalked, kidnapped and almost murdered, and still stand up for herself. The tiny girl who had been the biggest target in the whole school; the girl that everyone laughed at and made fun of because it was easier to be a coward than it was to be brave. _

_Against all odds the little diva stood her ground; she remained true to herself, she didn't back down or shy away from the truth. And yet, after all that she endured, Rachel Berry had bravely confronted the entire school during the mock debate and said: " This is so wrong! "_

_If Rachel Berry could do all that and still survive... then maybe so could I. _

Those were the thoughts that lingered on the minds of the silent majority of students at McKinley High School. They spied upon the little diva and her entourage with sidelong glances. They offered shy smiles, and some of them even got up the nerve to whisper a gentle, awe filled 'Hello Rachel.' As though she was a Goddess incarnate.

"OH. MY. GOD!" (grrrrrrrr….)

…

**Act III, Scene III: Not so random acts of Subliminal Seduction. **

Just like the Scenes of Random acts of Bad Poetry, Rachel scheduled her Act III, Scene III: Not so random acts of Subliminal Seduction, and Act III, Scene IV: Not so random acts of Overt Transparency to be played out over the course of two consecutive days. And, just like the Bad Poetry Scenes, the preparation for this part of her Play had taken an enormous amount of time and effort. She had spent months setting these two Scenes up, gathering images and music, practicing behavioral psychology on strangers at the grocery store, or the mall, or the movie theatre, and occasionally, on unsuspecting loved ones.

The root of the matter was startling simple: Everyone is different.

Everyone.

Unfortunately, human beings are programmed to think we should try and be the same. Alike. We should hold the same ideals, morals, faith systems, and act accordingly. Rachel firmly believed that _programming_ was the proper word; including both subliminal and overt societal programming that started very early with an onslaught of images and words. Doctrines designed to tell us all how to behave and who we should love; religious doctrines, government doctrines, a multitude of rules and laws that teach us all what is right and good.

McKinley High School was simply a microcosm. An isolated blot that had an above average percentage of bigots. Bigots who relished the power they held over those they thought were offensively different.

So, with that in mind, Rachel began the groundwork for these two Scenes in her Play by taking over the bulletin boards in the school. She also convinced Mr. Figgins to allow a program of _soothing_ background music to be pumped into the cafeteria during lunch time on a daily basis. The Principal had returned in the second week of January and was incredibly accommodating of the little diva's request. Also, the Cast of Rachel's Play was doing an exemplary job of implementing the daily maintenance, the seed work involved that would culminate in the acting out of her Scenes on this upcoming Thursday and Friday.

_**Mickey Everson**_

"Get your filthy paws off my picture Everson." Lauren Zizes stepped up to the mischievous boy, who was currently poised over a photograph on the lower portion of the bulletin board. He was wielding a Sharpie marker, preparing to doodle naughty things.

"Buzz off! What do you think your going to do to make me stop?" Mickey sneered over his shoulder, not really paying attention to the voice who mouthed the warning at him.

"How 'bout I give you a preview of my _Texas Cloverleaf_ pipsqueak! Of course I'll have to _take you down_ first, so I can properly demonstrate the move." Lauren followed up her threat by grasping Mickey Everson's shoulder within her claw like grip.

"Aaaaaahhh…. alright, alright, Zizes…I get it, ….I…I'll stop." Mickey scurried back and away from the scary wrestler. _Dude! That chick is terrifying_.

The poor boy was really having a shitty week. All he wanted to do was have a little fun. He was getting damned sick of seeing all those stupid pictures all over the school.

First it was the kittens cuddling, the puppies frolicking, and oodles and oodles of fluffy baby ducklings. Then it was all kinds of wild animals doing cutesy things. Penguins playing on the ice, Polar Bear cubs wrestling, Dolphins twirling and spinning, leaping, and consorting in pods that moved together in unison. There were Mama Lions grooming their cubs, there were Elephants with their trunks twisted together, and there were Giraffes nuzzling, intertwining their long and gangly necks.

Every bulletin board in the bloody school was suddenly a display for warm and fuzzy animal pictures. But that wasn't even so bad, he liked animals, sort of, well…he didn't hate them anyway. But then the following week the pictures started to change, and the space that was taken up on the bulletin boards started to grow. At first, whoever was behind the silly pictures was just using up the bottom left corner of the large rectangle. But then, like a bunch of brainless zombies, the rest of the students started bringing in pictures of their own to post on the bulletin boards.

Some were of families having birthday parties, others were of little kids holding hands in the park, or playing together on swing sets. People hugging, and laughing, and kissing, and crying. Groups of people engaged in giant hugs. Smaller clusters sharing a laugh, or playing a game together, or couples whispering secrets while gazing vapidly into each others eyes. ICK!

Mickey had to admit that at least one of those images was a little bit interesting. There was a photograph of the McKinley football team after it finally won a game. All the boys were glommed together in a huddle, hugging and squeezing one another ferociously, elated beyond words from having won their first game. Mickey smiled at that photo, the memory warming his heart as it brought him back to that day and how wonderful he felt, and how great it was to be a part of something bigger than himself...

The football player, who was also a basketball player, and a baseball player, shook his head to clear the mushy sentiments.

He could put up with the pictures of endangered furballs, and the happy family picnics, and little kids playing together holding hands. Mickey really liked the images of the teams showing their solidarity. But _no fucking way_ was he gonna stand still and allow his school to become a safe haven for fags and dykes. No way! He was gonna put a stop to all this sick shit.

This last week the photographs had _really_ changed. The kids started to bring in images of couples. Some of them were of their parents, or grandparents, or themselves with their current boyfriend or girlfriend. Most of these pictures of couples were tolerable. Some of them were hugging, some were kissing, others were holding hands. No big deal, but it became a _big fucking deal_ when he had to look at two guys kissing each other, or even worse, two girls.

"That's a picture of my Auntie Lauren, my Namesake _you Asshole_…" The wrestler was up in Mickey's face again, she was clenching her fist and shaking it at him. "…and that woman she's kissing is her girlfriend, Isabeau. Don't they make a beautiful couple Mickey Everson?…" Lauren asked him while slowly running her index finger along the line of his shirt collar, tracing it all around to the back of his neck. She was breathing in his face and smiling at him through those bottle neck glasses of hers; her eyes were huge and amazingly green, they gleamed like those of a possessed wildcat.

The shellshocked boy bobbed his head wordlessly at the All Star Wrestler.

"…So, if I come back later and see that my picture of my Auntie Lauren and her girlfriend Bo is defiled, _in any way_ Meathead...I'm gonna show you my Texas Cloverleaf _and _my '_Zizes Zipper the Ripper'_ body slam. You got that Mickey the Meathead? Do. You. Got it? " Lauren taunted the boy, who was frantically nodding his head 'yes' to every question the frightening girl was throwing at him.

"Don't you get it dipstick? These bulletin boards are off limits to vandalism. They're a free spot. A safe zone. _Anyone_ can bring in a picture they want of something they love, or someone they love. If you want to make hateful pictures, or be hateful and mean and ugly, do that shit somewhere else Mickey Everson, because these bulletin boards are ours. They belong to the kids in the school who have something to love, or someone to love."

Without even noticing Mickey Everson was being backed down the hallway, he was slowly marched away from the site of his intended moustachery; all the while Lauren Zizes was yammering in his face about the goddamned pictures on the bulletin boards.

"You're pathetic did you know that Everson? You don't have one person who loves you? You don't have a picture of anyone in your life that you would be proud to say is someone you love? So, instead, you gotta go hating on everyone else? Is that it?… _**I feel sorry for you Mickey**_…"

Lauren yelled the last part at his back. The boy finally gathered up the courage to run away from the scary girl. _Oh God! What the fuck is happening at this school? _Mickey silently wondered. Had everyone lost their minds? He couldn't throw Slushies anymore because that Deputy Sparkle came and told the whole school she would arrest them all if one more Slushy got thrown. He couldn't toss the gleeks or dweebs in the dumpster anymore because they traveled around in packs. Packs of gleeks that were followed around by a trail of fawning wannabes. _What in holy hell was happening in this school?_

_**Azimo Adams**_

Azimo Adams was cradling his head upon the lunch table. The grumpy boy had his hands clasped over his ears to block out the irritating music. The so called _soothing _music was grating on his nerves. He was so sick of hearing all this crappy shit. Hell, he wished they would go back to playing that classical stuff from earlier in the month. At least it was just instruments and melodies. He didn't have to suffer through the stupid lyrics.

"Imagine all the people…"

_Oh Christ, not John Lennon again. Fuck, I would rather listen to that GaGa freaks 'Born this way' than have to listen to this damned song one more time. Or even that 'Ch..ch…ch…ch…Changes…' song by David Bowie Hermaphrodite._

Azimo wasn't stupid. He knew what was happening. He didn't like it, but he didn't really have a choice now did he? That fucking Skunker had the whole school brainwashed. What was really scary is that everyone seemed to like it. Shit, Jeremy was the worst of all. Karofsky was right behind him and he could hardly believe the betrayal of Finn Dudson? Who would ever guess the 'boy moron' would be brave enough to switch sides? Especially after all the threats that he and Mickey, and Jared and Gary had rained down upon him. Nope, the good old days of toilet swirly's, dumpster tossing, and Slushy facials was over.

For now.

Azimo wasn't going to rock the boat right now. That would be dumb, especially after that idiot Nate screwed up so bad he ended up getting the Cops to threaten everyone with assault charges. No, he would keep his head down and pretend this _sick shit_ didn't really 'bug' him that much. Things would settle down, everyone would get sick of all the feel good crap on the bulletin boards. The music was hard though. He hated it; it had the same affect on him as a buzzing insect. The constant repetition of the same sounds, and words, made him feel claustrophobic.

He knew the Skunker was playing songs about peace, and change, and love on purpose. He knew what the intent behind the bulletin boards was too. The whole thing was a giant set-up. Another manipulation. Furthermore, what really concerned the football player was: what were they being softened up for? What more could the Skunker possibly accomplish?

Both the volleyball teams and the baseball teams made a big deal out of announcing how they were all for anti-bullying. The players on all four teams (both the boys and girls teams) volunteered to be hallway monitors. During the changing of classes and also during the lunch period these athletes prowled the halls in groups, making it safe for losers to get to class. Ugh. What was the world coming to when a guy couldn't even take out his frustration on some stupid nobody that nobody cared about?

Azimo decided to be honest, at least with himself. What was really 'bugging' him was Rachel Berry. He didn't understand how that little irritant had managed such a 'reversal of fortune.' She was like some kind of superstar at McKinley now. What was really weird about the whole thing is that no one talked about it. Everyone just stared at her, smiled at her, and admired her from afar. But no one talked about her; it was as if that would be rude or something. No one brought up the whole thing that went down with Stephanie Hanson, and now with this Nate Minetti scandal, and Pierce almost dying; it was like Rachel Berry and her troupe of loser gleeks were suddenly on some kind of unspoken 'hands off' list.

Why? Who gave a damn? He certainly didn't, although he did think it was kind of rotten that Nate had been using drugs to get girls to have sex with him. That was really low and dumb. But, still, why should Rachel Berry all of the sudden be so important? And why did it seem that lately, all the losers who used to scurry out of his way didn't really do that any more?

…..

**Deputy Minnie Sparkle and her** _**'Serious Intervention' **_

(Wednesday, February 6th)

"Now, every student in this school will participate in this exercise. If you want an exemption you'll have to get that form you received signed by your parents, or legal guardians, and deliver it to Police Headquarters. This exercise is considered part of your curriculum and the grade is pass or fail. If you skip school because you don't want to participate you will have to spend two weeks in summer school to make up for your absence."

Deputy Minnie Sparkle was addressing the student body in the gymnasium; she was speaking into a microphone that was perched on a tall stand, which was positioned under the basketball hoop on the South end of the gym. Behind her stood several other authority figures, all of them gazing at the student body, silently offering their support to what the Deputy was saying. Minnie chose this venue, instead of the auditorium because it would be easier for the students to select their Partners once her explanation was completed.

The students were blown away by what was happening to them. It seemed as though every COP in the State of Ohio was at their school today. They were in every hallway, the lunchroom, the library; they were in and out of classes, observing, staring at, and intimidating the unsuspecting students. The Officers, when asked, refused to explain their presence. They just loitered around the school, staring, looming, and scaring the pants off the weakest of bullies. Yes, those kids who had the most to fear because of some of their past behavior, were among those that were the most rattled.

"This High School has been in the News _a lot_ recently. You have two high profile criminals doing life sentences at the ripe old age of 15 and 18. Others are serving out their High School career at the Juvenile Detention Facility."

Minnie paused for a moment to whistle through her teeth and shake her head at the mob of immobile students who were collectively holding their breath.

"Stephanie Hanson is serving time for Attempted Murder and Kidnapping.

Nate Minetti is serving time for Attempted Murder, Kidnapping, and seven counts of Rape.

They have both been given life sentences. Oh, they will probably get paroled because of their youth, but not for fifteen years at least, because of the seriousness of the crimes they committed.

Jenna Doran and Brian Grant will finish high school in Juvie, because they aided and abetted Nate Minetti in Kidnapping, Rape and Attempted Murder.

Billy Purdy, Jonathan Specks and Reggie Davies will be released in three months time, but they'll still have parole and community service to complete. They also participated in aiding Nate Minetti, but they did so without the knowledge of his intent. They did, however, know that it was wrong to drug another person, and Kidnap them against their will, even if they thought it was just a prank.

"The Skunker did that too." Someone shouted out, interrupting the Deputy, causing a collective gasp among the audience of students and teachers.

"Yes, the Skunker did." Minnie replied to the comment without revealing any irritation. "And this 'Skunker' will be charged for those crimes as soon as we have some evidence against him. For now, we have no evidence." Minnie explained. She paused for a moment to let the students settle down before continuing her speech. She only had two more names on the list of McKinley students who were recently charged with crimes. The interruption about the Skunker served to add additional tension to the room, which made this next announcement difficult for the Deputy.

"Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry will be doing two months of community service for Assault and the Concealing of an unregistered Taser."

The Deputy paused again to allow the details of _all_ the crimes to sink in. Many of the students were gaping at Santana and Rachel, who were protectively surrounded by their glee club friends. Both girls lowered their eyes in contrition, but their backs straightened a bit under the scrutiny. Rachel and Santana knew that Minnie was going to make that announcement, they also knew it was necessary, but it still angered them both. They were not yet done being angry over what happened to Brittany, but they did accept the consequences of their behavior; understanding the punishment they received was minimal considering everything else they had done.

**"This school is filled with bullies and haters." ** Minnie continued, her tone was harsh and she raised her voice intentionally for that statement.

The Deputy Sheriff was garbed in her chocolate brown dress uniform. Her usually wild, dark, and wavy unkempt hair was neatly clasped with a golden ring clip; it shined like the badge upon her breast pocket. Her boots were polished and she wore her holster and gun. Minnie Sparkle was an attractive woman; she was tall, imposing, impressive, and most definitely _intimidating_.

Standing behind Minnie (to her left) was Sheriff Ricky Berry, also wearing his dress uniform; his expression seemed stoic and determined, but every so often he glanced at his Deputy and (if one was a keen observer) grinned a little crookedly. Oh yes, Sheriff Ricky had been really, really, _really,_ angry with his Deputy, but he was also incredibly proud of her.

Also standing behind the Deputy was Coach Sue Sylvester sporting her Black Adidas in deference to the somber and serious nature of this school assembly; her smirk, however, was classically cynical. Standing next to Sue was Principal Figgins, whose face was contorted in abject horror, as though he was the star performer in a very frightening episode of the Twilight Zone. He had been acting like that from the very first day of his return. The poor man was at a loss as to what was going on. _He specifically charged Sue Sylvester with the task of_ _NOT allowing her freaky mutant friends to tear the school to pieces in his absence! Look what had happened while he was gone! They needed him more than ever now. And still, Sue Sylvester was standing there smirking like she had won a Gold Medal. My God how could he ever fix this mess?_

And last but not least, standing behind the Deputy was Harley Everson, the President of the School Board. Those four adults represented the Local Law Enforcement Authority, the Teaching Staff, the Administration, and the School Board Authority. The four adults lined up behind the Deputy were sending a message to the student body. The message was: We support whatever the Deputy has to say. And: You will do whatever the Deputy requires you to do.

"I brought ten Officers with me today. My intent was to arrest 46 more students for Assault, Harassment and Stalking. If you look into the parking lot you will see two white buses from the boys and girls Juvenile Detention Facilities. I still may fill up those buses with the likes of some of you, but it was suggested that I give you all another chance. That Practical Joker… the Skunker, has been very, very busy. I don't really care what you call him because he provided the police department with some unbelievable, undeniable, video recordings. So many of you are guilty of 'Aggravated Assault,' that I can hardly believe I'm not hauling you all out to the _Paddy Wagon _this very instant.

But I'm not going to do that. Or, I won't…as long as you all participate in the anti hate crime exercise that I have put together." Minnie glanced around the bleachers of the gymnasium to gage the response of the students. Many of them still appeared to be in a state of shock, but most of them were nodding their heads in agreement with whatever she was about to offer them.

"Alright then. Tomorrow will be the 'First Annual McKinley High School Gay Day.' "

"What?"… "Huh?"… "Grumble."… "No Way."… "Yay!" (clap, clap)... "Cool"... "… murmur, murmur, mumble, mumble, grumble…"

Minnie allowed them to vent for a moment before she continued. Once they settled down she launched into a list of statements filled with statistics that had the whole room baffled.

" The richest Americans in this country, those in the top 20%, own 85% of the nations wealth. Which means that the bottom 80% of Americans own only 15% of the nations wealth. However, just because these rich and wealthy people have more money; this doesn't make them _better_, or _more deserving_ of their rights than those of us who are poor or less wealthy.

If a person is perceived to be physically attractive; this does not make them _better_, or _more deserving_ of their rights than those of us who are not as attractive.

"72% of the people in this country are Caucasian. However, just because they are in the majority; this does not make them _better_, or _more deserving_ of their rights than those of us who are Native American, or Asian American, or African American, or Latin American.

73% of the people in this country identify themselves as Christians, 4% practice Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, or Islam. 15% claim no religious affiliation and 6% of that number purport themselves to be Atheists. Those of you who practice a faith, and believe in a God, greatly outnumber those that don't. However, just because you are in the majority; this does not make you _better_, or _more deserving_ of your rights than those of us who don't believe in God or practice a faith.

90% of the people in this country are Heterosexual. However, just because you are in the majority; this does not make you _better_, or _more deserving _of your rights than those of us who are Gay.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young adults between the ages 15 to 24. Gay, Lesbian, and bisexual teens are five times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual counterparts, but new research suggests that a supportive environment in schools and communities _can_ and _will_ make a difference.

You are all going to make a difference. We are all going to make a difference. Consider this an opportunity to make a positive change in your school and also your community. Now, I'm very aware that the bullying occurring in this school has covered a broader spectrum. Consider this 'Gay Day' as a _catch all_ phrase, a state of mind that will encompass how every one of you is different, and that it is fully acceptable to be different.

Some of you are tall and some of you are short, some of you are left handed, others are color blind. Some of you struggle with depression and others have eating disorders. Some of you can't read, some of you have phobias, and some of you have obsessive neuroses. Some of you have only one parent, some of you have two dads, others have two moms, some of you are from broken homes, some of you have no parents at all, and some of you have been abused….I could go on and on and on, but my point is really very simple.

You are all exceptionally unique. You are individuals, and each and every one of you has the right to be yourself in this school, and in our society. You have the right to feel safe and nurtured while you learn.

Some of you have had your rights flagrantly violated in this school and it is going to stop today. Right now.

Hate and prejudice have always played a negative role in any community. This High School community has an above average level of hate crimes perpetrated on people simply because they are different. Well, tomorrow, most of you will be taking on the role of being different. For one day, you will play the role of a homosexual."

Minnie paused again, knowing the kids would need to blow off some steam after what she just unloaded on them. Several seconds passed before the random comments started to be shouted and muttered. Some of them were spoken out loud and clear, while other comments were mumbled or whispered. Minnie heard them all, and she allowed them all. It was important that she get a feel for how this experiment would be received.

"Are you for real?"… "Dude, you gotta be kidding!"… "Hey… did you just say that you were gay too?"… "Snicker."… "She did, when she was rattling off all of those confusing statistics..."

…"You don't believe in God?"… "I ain't gonna pretend to be no fag!" … "I think I'd make a handsome lesbian"… "Snort!" …"My parents will never let me do this! They hate the gays, do I have to tell them?"…"Hey Deputy…what did you mean by _most_ of us?"…

…"Huh?…I don't understand the part about what kind of ethnic you are? Are you an Injun? Or a Chink?" … Smack! …"Owww, I didn't mean anything, I just wanted to know what she is?..that hurt Quinn."…

…"Do we get to dress up however we want to? I want to wear some leather…and maybe a mask…oo..ooh, and can I bring a riding crop?"…

…"I'm so excited, I can't _wait_ to hold hands with Kurt." …

_Who said that? _Kurt frantically scanned the gym, blushing furiously. _Whoever blurted that comment out, actually sounded kind of sincere…maybe? Hopefully…kind of_...

…" I knew it! I knew we were getting set up for something bad…this is way worse than the crappy music and the ugly pictures we've had to suffer these last few weeks!"...

…"I liked the music! And don't you dare say one more awful word about John Lennon, Azimo!"…

…"Fine,_ whatever_, Cray-Cray!"…

…"Harumph!" (stomp!)...

…"Wait a minute… you just told us all: that you're gay, Indo/Chinese and you don't believe in God? Wow! You are so badass Deputy Sparkle, and _way hot_, don't let no one tell you different. Can I be your girlfriend tomorrow? My family has lots of money so you don't have to worry about being poor. I'll be your Sugar Motta!"…

…"Oh. My. God!"…

Sigh….

Finally, the commentary seemed to taper off and Minnie was surprisingly pleased. Other than the fact that an unsettling amount of the comments had been directed at her, personally; the proposed exercise had gone over better than she expected. There were definitely kids who were angry and uncomfortable, but most of the students seemed somewhat curious and excited by the prospect. Some of those exemption forms would definitely get turned in, but based on the current response she suspected that most of the students would participate. Minnie's quiet thoughts were interrupted by one last comment, or more specifically a question. A very good question, considering she hadn't yet outlined the requirements expected of them.

"Do I get to pick my own girlfriend?" Lauren Zizes asked excitedly, her gaze raking over that of Cindy Bingham, who was wholly unaware that the All Star Wrestler held her within her sites. Minnie openly laughed at the question and nodded her head at Lauren, who was grinning like the cheshire cat and rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

So it was that Deputy Minnie Sparkle began to explain the guidelines for the First Annual McKinley High School Gay Day.

"In a few moments each of you will choose a Partner for tomorrow. That person will be your 'pretend' girlfriend or boyfriend for the day. For those of you who have trouble finding a Partner, Coach Sylvester will pair you up with an appropriate match."

(Insert a multitude of grumbles and groans.)

Minnie knew that having the Coach as a back up matchmaker would give the students incentive to make their own choice. Also, she knew there would be students who were left out because they were shy and insecure. She wanted Sue to circulate and make certain that everyone would be paired up with someone they felt comfortable with. Sue knew their strengths and weaknesses regarding their personalities, and the way they interacted with one another from her years of teaching them in the gym.

"You will be required to meet with your Partner before school starts, either at your locker or another agreed upon location within the school. You will walk each other to class. You will alternate who is the escort between each period. You will carry each other's books and hold hands while walking each other to class."

"Groans…" (mostly from the boys in the room)

"Now, now, you're not expected to kiss or hug one another... although you may if you want to."

More groans, but some good natured giggles and snorts were present as well.

"You will share your lunch period together. Also, during the course of the day, you will be required to 'get to know' your Partner. A list of Twenty Questions has been prepared for you to ask your Partner, and you will be expected to remember the answers at the end of the day. It is suggested that you ask and answer some of these questions while you escort one another to and from your classes. This will ease any awkwardness you feel by giving you something to talk about with one another.

You will treat your Partner civilly, with respect and affection, as though they truly were your significant other.

The corridors and classes will be monitored by the Officers who are here today. I had them observe you throughout the day to get a feel for how things are in the hallways and what is entailed during the course of changing classes. You are expected to make a true effort during this exercise and you will be graded at the end of the day.

Pay attention to how you feel, what you think, and what you observe. At the end of the day, during sixth period you will write an essay. During seventh period, we will all gather in the auditorium to review what was learned.

Oh, and as a reward, if everything goes well. The Sherrif's Department is sponsoring a 'Gay Day' dance for all of you on Friday evening. Now, lets get started. Time to pick your Partners!" Deputy Minnie Sparkle exclaimed, she smiled brightly at the mob of students who suddenly looked as though they were about to be swallowed alive.

…

**The First Annual McKinley High School Gay Day.**

…..

(Puck and Finn)

Noah Puckerman was well known for being rather handsy. Poor Finn, he knew it would be a bad idea to agree to be Pucks _boyfriend_. Puck had that look in his eye, and that evil smirk on his face when he told Finn that they would make a _Slammin' Gay Dude Couple_.

"Dude, straight chicks love gay guys. If we put on a really great show, you'll have to fight the bitches off, coz they'll be _wantin' _some of _that!" _Then the stupid jerk slapped him on the butt right in front of everyone in the gym.

_Oh Geeze!_ He knew he should have asked Mike to be his boyfriend before Artie scooped him up, or wheeled him away, or _whatever_. Now he was stuck with _Hands all over my pants_ _Puckerman_ all day long. The first thing in the morning Puck took Finn's arm and wrapped it over his shoulder while they were walking to class.

"Dude, I'm shorter than you, it'll just look weird if I put my arm around you. I'd have to get some eight inch platforms or something to make it look right. Suck it up and tuck me in _lover."_

_Oh Fuck! "_Why can't we just hold hands like everyone else is doing? This is dumb."

"Not _everyone_ is only holding hands Finn, look at Quinn and Rach…" Puck pointed across the hallway and winked at the gorgeous couple, who were walking towards them; Quinn had her arm snugly around Rachel's shoulder, she was smiling as she whispered something into the diva's ear. When their paths crossed in the hallway, he heard Rachel's response to Quinn, "Puck and Finn _really are_ cute together. "

_Oh.. No!… I really hate this. _Finn pouted all the way to their next class. He and Puck took their usual seats in the back of the room, but Puck made a point to pull his desk as close to Finn's as possible, he then reached over and started to stroke Finn's thigh.

_Ugh…Crap… _(Swat)

By the end of the day Finn had resigned himself to hold on to Pucks hand with a death grip, even during class. He discovered that letting it go, for even a second, was sending the pervy boy some kind of crazy message that it was okay to be groped. _Cripes, I really feel sorry for all the girls that Puck has ever dated if this is what it's like to be his girlfriend…ah..um..boyfriend…ack!...whatever._

The boys did manage to have some meaningful interactions during their lunch period and Finn decided he could forgive Puck for being so _handsy_ because of the great advice he offered.

"Dude, if you really want Rachel to hang around you again, you gotta stop asking her out. It's rude man, and wrong. She's with Quinn now, and they're really happy. Every time you go and ask her to the movies, or to Breadsticks, all it does is hurt her. "

"Whaddaya mean Puck? No way! I'm just letting her know that I still like her and wanna be with her. What's wrong with that?"

"You're not respecting her relationship with Quinn. Think about it this way Finn. If you were still dating Rachel and I walked up to her and said: 'Hey Rach, want to go see Starship Troopers with me?' How would that make you feel?"

"I'd punch your face in." Finn's face turned beet red just thinking about Puck asking Rachel out, but then he followed the idea all the way through and realized what Puck was trying to tell him. _Rachel and Quinn are really together, it's not a fake relationship at all...Oh…I see._

Puck was watching his friend very carefully and smiled when he saw the glimmer of understanding flicker over Finn's face. _Finally._

"Finn, Rachel really wants to be your _friend_, but she won't allow you to be close to her if she thinks all you are going to do is hit on her. Rachel loves having friends Finn, and Dude, she's a super fantastic friend to have, you don't want to toss that away. But you better accept what I'm about to tell you as the final word." Puck made sure that Finn was looking him in the eye before continuing, "Rachel's heart belongs to Quinn Fabray…and it always will."

Finn nodded his head in understanding. He felt pretty sad, but he knew things would get better once he and Rachel could get back to being real friends again. He felt a lot lighter all of the sudden, like the weight of Jupiter or something, had been sucked out of his head. Another moment passed in quiet contemplation before Finn realized he owed his _fake _boyfriend a thank you.

Flashing Puck his standard goofy smile, the dopey boy leaned over the lunch table and planted a big sloppy kiss upon his 'boyfriends' mouth.

The whole of the lunchroom erupted into wild cheers, wolf whistles, and catcalls.

…

_(Lauren and Cindy)_

"If I was gonna be gay, Cindy, I would _totally_ be gay for you. You're the sweetest kid in the school. And pretty. Smart too. You, are a triple threat, my dear."

Poor Cindy, she had no idea why Lauren Zizes had singled her out to be her 'girlfriend' for the day. The All Star Wrestler was _All Around Frightening,_ to the previously skittish freshmen student. But, Lauren was also a member of the glee club, and that, in Cindy's book, made everything okay. She knew Lauren would take care of her during the course of the day, so she relaxed, and allowed the tension to flow out of her body, which enabled her to, somewhat, enjoy this strange experience.

"Well, you are the sweetest girl in the school, and Giles is the sweetest boy. You two are a really good match. Did you know, I always thought that Giles was gay?…not that there is anything wrong with being gay… coz, um…like I just said, if I was..-"

Cindy smiled as she listened to Lauren ramble on and on. That was pretty much how things worked for most of the morning. Lauren rambling and telling her how things would be. _"I'm gonna be the 'guy' so gimme your books." _Cindy didn't have the heart to argue with Lauren; even she knew that was a stereotype, which is why the Deputy had made it clear they should take turns escorting each other to class.

"And my Auntie Lauren is gay. You should see her girlfriend Bo. Hot, hot, hot! and talk about _badass… _I'm going to ask her to show me how to sword fight when I visit them in Canada this summer…"

They were on their way to lunch after sharing a rather pleasant morning together. They did manage to ask and answer some of the questions on the required list, but just now it seemed as though Lauren was nervous.

"I think you're a wonderful girl, Cindy, and special, and I think you should know that about yourself, and…um… really believe that about yourself. I feel really bad about what that bitch Stephanie was doing to you and Giles. I could have stepped in and stopped her a time or two, and I didn't. I knew I should, but I didn't… I'm… I'm really sorry about that Cindy…"

_Ahh..that's why she was so nervous._

Lauren Zizes finished her babbling, her words trailed off as she _finally_ got to the apology part of what she wanted to say. There were tears forming in her _amazingly_ green eyes. The shimmering droplets seemed larger, and wetter, with the magnification from the lenses of her glasses. Cindy glanced up at her '_girlfriend_' for the day, she squeezed Lauren's hand and smiled at the All Star Wrestler.

"I know Lauren. It's really okay. I never once thought that you should step in. No one else did, why should you have?… besides… that's all over now. Stephanie is gone, and school just keeps getting better and better." Cindy's words were filled with excitement and hope as she and Lauren swung their clasped hands between them on their journey toward the lunch room.

(Brittany and Santana)

Brittany spent most of her time between classes being 'the Big Gay Ambassador.' Or, that's what Santana had silently dubbed her girlfriend. She could hardly be upset with her girl because Brittany was so damned sweet and wonderful. She also just loved seeing her so _alive _and happy. But it would have been nice to be able to walk her girlfriend to class holding her hand, for real, (no linked pinkies ) without the distraction of all of these mushy meet and greets interrupting their private time.

"Oh look San, it's Jared and Gary!" Jared Paulson and Gary Todd were walking towards them hand in hand, their faces were bright red and the subtle smiles they wore spoke volumes to Santana Lopez. "Holy Shit." The Latina exclaimed, she always thought that she and Britt were the most closeted couple in the school, but she was obviously mistaken. These two were definitely a _real_ couple, she could read the signs a mile away. Jared was glancing about the hall, scanning for any possible threat towards his boyfriend. It was a practiced glance, one that only happened with his eyes; he didn't move his head at all because he didn't want to telegraph to the world, or Gary, what he was actually doing. Santana had practiced that for years while walking with Brittany down the hall. And, she had to admit, that Gary was just as oblivious (but in a different way) as Brittany was, in regard to hiding her feelings.

"Hi Jared, Hi Gary!" Brittany greeted the hockey players. "I'm so glad we finally get to Come Out at school. Isn't this fun? Maybe we can go on a triple date or something. You know, me and San, and Quinn and Rach, and well, both of you of course!"

Poor Jared, Gary was smiling at Brittany and nodding his head excitedly, but his boyfriend wasn't so enthusiastic. This 'Gay Day' would be just that. A single day. The kids in the school who were really gay were getting a free pass today. Tomorrow, everything would go back to '_normal_.'

Jared Paulson and Gary Todd's decision would probably be different than the decision that Quinn and Rachel, and Brittany and Santana had made.

"Oh..oh, look San…" Squeal! "Puck is feeling up Finn's hiney!" Santana rolled her eyes but found the visual highly amusing. Finn was huffing and swatting at Pucks free hand, all the while clinging desperately to the hand he was required to hold on to. Santana was quite familiar with Puck's Houdini fingers and laughed out loud at Finn's predicament.

"Awwww….Jeremy and Giles are so adorable!…and look at Tina and Cedes, San,…oh,oh, Mercedes looks _really mad_ at her girlfriend. I wonder if Tina tried to _Vampire_ _Lady kiss _her? I always wondered what her _Vampire_ _Lady kisses_ were like? Do you think Tina would _Vampire Lady kiss_ me today San? I mean, because it's 'Gay Day' and all. The last time I asked her she said no. (pout) But maybe Mercedes won't mind as much as Mike does? "

"Ay Dios Mio." Santana finally reached her limit. She yanked on Brittany's hand to get her attention before pulling her into her arms.

"The only _Vampire Lady kisses_ you need, Britt, are right here!" Santana declared as she backed her girlfriend into a row of lockers and proceeded with the demonstration."

….

(Mickey and Azimo)

"You're a terrible boyfriend! Owww… hey that hurts. " Mickey Everson griped, as his 'boyfriend' of the day dragged him through the hall at breakneck speed. Azimo's idea of _'holding hands while escorting each other to class '_ was more along the lines of clenching Mickey's wrist in a viselike grip, then yanking him around as though he were a dog that was trying to get off its leash.

He also made them _run_ to class, and Mickey didn't want to get caught running in the school. Never again! Not after that horrible Holiday break he had just endured. _Poor_ Mickey could never catch a break. Just as they were rounding the next corner, he and Azimo charged head first into Sue Sylvester. They bounced off of the Cheerio Coach as though she were made of solid rubber, then landed on their _hiney's._

Sue towered over the 'couple,' her gloating sneer sent a shiver up Mickey Eversons spine. _Oh God No, please don't say what I think your going to say._

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Carl Lewis and BeeZelbee BugZimo!" Sue leaned menacingly over the boys who were still on the floor, scrambling to get up while trying to avoid that steely eyed gaze.

"Now, I am willing to forget that you were running in the corridor, once again, Mickey Everson, but only if you and your '_boyfriend _' make a true attempt at participating in 'McKinley High Schools First Annual Gay Day.' I've been glimpsing this fuzzy blur throughout my periphery all day long. At first I thought I may have to get my eyes checked, but now I realize it was the two of you, speeding through the hallways, avoiding the natural bonding that occurs when two _young lovers_ share their deepest desires while escorting one another to class! Now, get up off the floor, clasp your hands together properly, and walk at a leisurely pace to your next class."

The two boys grumbled but did what Coach Sylvester requested. Azimo very reluctantly offered his hand to Mickey, who grinned at the sulky boy's petulant expression.

"I will explain your _lovers quarrel_ to Ms. Betson so she does not mark you tardy for her class."

"You don't really have to do that Coach, I'd rather take the tardy." Azimo pleaded, knowing in his heart that the Coach would never be dissuaded.

"Nonsense, now off you go." Sue placed a hand on each boys' shoulder and gave them a shove. " That's it… _walk_, swing your hands back and forth… wonderful!.."

"Oh Piss and Shit! Put me out of my misery." Azimo mumbled below his breath while Mickey burst into giggles. He suddenly found this whole situation stupidly hilarious.

… _**and don't forget your Twenty Questions! " **_was shouted at their backs as the boys wandered down the hallway hand in hand.

…

**Rachel and Quinn**

Rachel and Quinn were among the last stragglers to leave the school on 'Gay Day.' They strolled through the halls, arm in arm, soaking up each other's company, reveling in the success of Act III, Scene III: Not so random acts of Subliminal Seduction. But, just as they were preparing to leave, Quinn stopped abruptly, she was captured by a photograph on the bulletin board near the exit.

Two men held a young child in their arms. The little girl was snug between them as they kissed one another over the top of her head. Her shoulder length hair was rich and thick and wavy. The child was clapping her hands together fiercely, her eyes were dark, and huge, and sparkled with a brightness that could light up the evening sky. The family of three was frozen in time; a snapshot of a moment. But still, that little girl was wholly animated, jubilant, as though she would explode; as though she would soar like a rocket, right beyond the boundaries of the photo into the heavens.

Quinn was dumbstruck. The photograph was somewhat faded, and obviously quite old, but it held a joy, a beauty, a purity and a love that was something she would recognize anywhere. Because she witnessed it on a daily basis. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she gazed at little Rachel snuggled within the arms of her Dad and Daddy.

"Do you see it now Quinn?" Rachel asked softly, hoping that Quinn would understand what she had been trying to show her all along.

Nod.

"I've always had so much love in my life Quinn. I've been so very lucky. I didn't understand, when I was little, that my family was different than most everyone else's. I found out rather quickly on my very first day of school. But, even though my life at school was tortuous at times, I always had _them_ to go home to." Rachel pointed at the photo before she leaned in and traced a heart around the image of her Dad and Daddy.

Quinn could only nod mutely; the image triggered something deep within her. Perhaps it was because the photo depicted a child who was completely whole, and surrounded by love. Quinn's heart pounded with the knowledge that Rachel was still the same somehow. Undamaged. That, even with all she had endured, she was still that gorgeous and beautiful, wholesome and happy, well loved child.

"It wasn't me that needed to change to make things better. Of course, I did change too, but it wasn't me who could actually _make_ things change. You did all the hard work Quinn. You, and Santana, and Puck, and Jeremy, and David, and Coach Sylvester. All of the glee club, Even Finn, and Mr. Schuester, and everyone else in this whole school.

But none of this could have happened if you hadn't made that first move Quinn. Change must come from within. You're the one who told me, 'people won't roll over because you tell them to.' And you were right Quinn. People will only change if they _want_ to change, and when they are ready to grow. I have learned so much from you sweetheart, so much."

Rachel moved in slowly, seeing the tension in her girlfriends body, the built up emotion that needed release; she glided her arms around Quinn's neck, pulling her close before softly whispering, " Thank you so much for loving me."

And Quinn began to sob. They held each other for a long moment, shedding tears of happiness, and wonder, and awe of what they had accomplished together.

Some little time later…

Slender arms clung desperately to strong shoulders and sinewy back as though they were a lifeline. Her face was buried in Quinn's neck and hair, her dancers legs tightly encircled the blondes waist. They were centered on the bed, both of them sitting upright as she straddled Quinn's lap. She was rocking up and down, undulating like a wave in the ocean, rolling with the rhythm of a body that she was at one with.

Quinn was the ship that scaled the peak, conquered the crest, and rode out the tumult of the wake with surety.

Rachel was the rogue wave that would never be defined, not without that sturdy ship to take its measure.

Quinn was inside her, guiding her, breathing her, saving her, loving her, taking her home.

Rachel was inside her, below her, above her, riding her, guiding her, loving her, making her whole.

They were entwined for hours, immersed, and lost to all reality. They simply let go, of everything, and allowed themselves to be together. Allowed themselves free reign. Together their bodies became a passionate chemistry. Just the right amount of this, combined with a little bit of that, was melded into a mixture that ignited into a ball of human fusion.

Everything that passed between them before, seemed to fade and blur becoming a singular thing. One in which they claimed together.

**To Be Continued.**

_The next chapter will finish up Act III, Scene III: Not so random acts of Subliminal Seduction and continue through to Act III, Scene IV: Not so random acts of Overt Transparency._

I_ hope you all stick around to see what happens. Thanks to all of you who continue to follow along, and especially those of you who take the time to review. :)_


	44. Likes Girls

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

…

_The first part of this chapter has several flashback snippets of events, before and on Gay Day. This sets up Act III, Scene IV: Not so random acts of Overt Transparency, which is played out in the rest of the chapter. _

**Chapter XLIV. "Likes Girls"**

….

(Gay Day Preparation, one week earlier)

The tee shirts, and the slogans to be printed on them were Kurt's idea. Minnie volunteered to provide the blank tee shirts (which is why the color was the same chocolate brown as her uniform) as long as Rachel and her gleeks took on the responsibility of having them printed. Rachel accomplished that detail in her Lab Oratory; the driven girl was impossible to foil. She immediately charmed Peter into helping her build a table top printing press, then conscripted her glee club friends for the labor intensive job of printing.

Poor Deputy Minnie Sparkle, she didn't want the details, but she got them anyway.

"The garments are reversible, meaning you can turn them inside out and they will still look as though they are right side out. However, the printed slogan will be different depending upon which side of the shirt one chooses to expose.

The Flash Cure was only $175.00, because I got a used one on ebay. The temperature required to cure them is 340° Fahrenheit. It's really like a one sided toaster, except bigger. I wanted to use Pink ink, of course, but everyone voted me down, so we agreed that White ink would be acceptable. White is also very gender neutral, however if you take in to acc-… blah, blah, blah..."

Sigh...

"Fine. Rachel, I trust you will get them printed on time. I just don't want you to be disappointed if your glee club kids are the only students who show up on Friday wearing the shirts. I promise I will hand them all out at the assembly on Thursday, but I can't require the kids to wear them on Friday. The agreement was that Gay Day would be just that single day."

"Of course, I understand Minnie, which is why I wanted reversible shirts. Because, this way, they will have the option of which side to display. I'm hoping there will be some carry over…you know, that some of the students will realize that it isn't _just an exercise_ for everyone_. _Well, and that hopefully, some of them will feel confident enough to wear the shirts in support of the minority…"

Sigh…

"I get it Rachel, and you have my full support. You know that don't you?"

Nod.

"Now, what about this bulletin board thing?" Minnie quirked an eyebrow at the little diva, knowing that Rachel wasn't being completely honest with her.

Rachel's eyes were suddenly very large. She flashed her winning smile at the Deputy, and _right there_ was what sent chills up the Deputy's spine. That little sneak was up to something. Rachel's smile was overly bright, and she forgot to blink her eyes when she was trying to pull a fast one.

"Umm… nothing really. I only request that you use the bulletin board outside the auditorium for displaying the essays. The rest of the bulletin boards have been used this past month as a free zone. A safe place for students to bring in photos of happy events and loved ones. I don't want our Gay Day to have a negative effect on something most of the student body has come to cherish."

"Is that all?" Minnie asked the little diva directly. Something still seemed off, but that seemed like a reasonable explanation.

Nod.

"Alright Rachel, we'll use the bulletin board outside the auditorium. I don't expect too many of the students will agree to let me post their essays anyway… so, I'll let this one go and trust that you aren't going to do something that will get me demoted."

With that said, Deputy Minnie Sparkle left Rachel alone in her Lab Oratory to fret over her latest decision.

…..

**David Karofsky's Essay**

_I don't think it's fair! Why did that Blaine kid get to be part of OUR Gay Day! That stupid Dalton Academy should have a Gay Day of their own. How did he even know about it? It's MY job to protect Kurt, but how could I do that when he spent the whole day holding hands with BLAINE? Blaine, also got to be in EVERY CLASS with Kurt because of his stupid guest status._

_This is my formal protest Deputy Minnie Sparkle, if you are actually going to read every single essay like you claimed at the assembly. I hope you choose my essay to post on the bulletin board so everyone will know that NOT everything about Gay Day was as fair as you promised us!_

WHAT DID I FEEL ?

_At first,_ _I was angry and jealous because of everything I just said about that Blaine kid. But, I got over it because I was too busy trying to keep up with my boyfriend. Sam was a really good boyfriend all day long. He knew I was upset in the morning so he distracted me by diving right in to the Twenty Questions. Although, he broke the rules too, by making up questions of his own, which were hilarious._

_Who would you rather date? a) Princess Lea, b) Han Solo, or c) Jar Jar Binks. Because of course Luke Skywalker was too wimpy and whiney to be on the list of potential fantasy boyfriends or girlfriends. But Jar Jar Binks? WTF, even I know how that freaky frog face annoyed the __pants off of every Star Wars geek. Sam is such a goofy dude, but really fun._

_What would you rather fly? a) a Viper, (cool fighting ship from Battlestar Galactica) b) an Ikran, (cool dragon thing from Avatar) or c) a kite? (cool floaty thing with a long tail)_

_I didn't even know what most of the things were (except for the kite), that Sam talked about, but I loved how excited and inspired he was by everything. _

WHAT DID I THINK ?

_The first time Sam and I walked down the hall holding hands I was terrified because I thought that everyone would think I was gay. Because I am Gay. My palm was all sweaty, and I kept apologizing to Sam because I thought he would think it was gross. He's just such a nice guy. And I'm not crushing on him either, it's just rare to find a guy who is so confident in their sexuality that they aren't complete __asshole __jerks to their girlfriends, or to dudes they think are gay. I know because I was one of those guys. _

_Anyway, I was so scared that everyone would just know; like a big purple G was suddenly plastered on my forehead. But Sam just smiled and waved at everyone we walked by. He clung to my hand as though it was really important to make a real and true effort for us to look like a couple. He didn't blush, he just smiled at all the other couples and shouted out to his friends. He was having fun. And then I realized what I was seeing. Everyone looked just like us. All the boys were holding all the boys hands, and all the girls were holding all the girls hands. Everyone was just as shy or nervous in some way, and because of that, they could hardly notice how awkward and weird I was feeling. _

_So, then I relaxed and just decided to enjoy myself. Because, __hell__, this was really enjoyable. For the first time in my life I felt like a normal person, even though I knew it was just pretend; it still made me feel great, and it gave me hope. If all these kids could do this exercise and be mostly okay with it, it made me realize that most of the world didn't hate us…or me. That it was just a small percentage of very loud people who felt the need to push their hate. Just like some of the kids in this school. Some of the guys were being jerks and were making gross comments and acting really immature, but for the most part, the majority of the kids were really trying._

WHAT DID I OBSERVE ?

_Throughout the day I watched couples talking, asking their twenty questions and sharing stories with one another._ _A lot of them spent time at the bulletin boards pointing out the pictures of their family members, or their pets, or their real boyfriends and girlfriends. I observed laughing, and joking, and good natured teasing. I also noticed some of the kids I thought were real couples, and it made my heart swell with pride to see them. They weren't pretending and it was really easy to see how much they cared about each other, and how happy they were because they could be OUT, if even for this one day. _

_I hope that some of them have the courage to stay OUT tomorrow, because I'm going to. I'll be wearing my T-Shirt inside out. Or, more accurately, the Right side OUT. And if everyone hates me, I'll just consider that my penance for what I did to Kurt. Besides, I know that Kurt will be my friend still, and Rachel and Quinn, and Sam and Puckerman, and Lopez and Pierce. So, I'll be okay, even if no one else will give me the time of day._

…

**Santana's Twenty Questions**

_What is your biggest dream?_

"Well, the Biggest dream I ever had was that one when Finn turned into the Jolly Green Giant. Remember how Big I told you he was? We were all shouting at him to stop dropping the peas on our heads. Do you remember how Big those peas were San? We had to hide under Lord Tubington's catnip Mousey. And boy, Mousey was Big too. I was kind of glad we didn't see Lord Tubbington, because, well, he doesn't play very nice with his toys.

Everything about that dream was so Big, San, except for me and you, and Rach and Quinn…but it was really fun too. I'd like to have a Bigger dream than that though. One where I am _so_ BIG, that I could put you in my pocket and carry you around wherever I go."

"You are that _BIG,_ baby, and I already live in your pocket." Santana quipped in response to Brittany's statement. Oh God. This was going to be the longest twenty questions she ever played, but she had a feeling that all of the answers were going to be fascinating.

_What is your Favorite Song?_

"Oh, that's easy. 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.' Did you know what San? There is this show on T.V. where the kids are a lot like us. You know, they're in high school, and they like to sing and dance and stuff. Anyway, they totally ruined my favorite song, like _really _bad. They had some kid who was a lot like Finn, except not as smart as him, sing that song to a girl. He made it sound like it was really sad, you know like if you were at a funeral or something. What's the name of those kinda songs San?"

"A Death March?"

"Nooo… but that could work too.. but it's different…um.. a ReckRoom, I think."

"Oh, a Requiem?"

"Yeah! San, that's the one. So this kid, who is not as smart as Finn but really lots like him, tells the whole school that this really hot, sexy, cheerleader is Gay. And then he tells her he's sorry by singing, 'Girls just wanna have fun' to her. In a ReckRoom voice! Like she was gonna jump off a cliff or something.

I mean, if I was that girl, I probly would have pushed _him_ off a cliff, but not really, because you know I don't like to hurt things; even giant boys who aren't as smart as Finn. But, anyway San, it really bugged me because all the kids on that show clapped and smiled like that boy was some kind of hero after he Outed that poor girl and ruined my favorite song. I wouldn't have clapped or smiled and neither would you San. I probly would have had to hold you back, and like, ask DeputyMinnieSparkle for her handcuffs or something."

"Most definitely!" Santana concurred. She was kind of feeling like pushing Finn off a cliff right now, but it wasn't his fault if he was just like some stupid imbecile on a T.V. show.

_What is your favorite color? _

"Oh, I know, I know, that's an easy one. My very favorite color in the whole world is Rainbow." Brittany bobbed her head excitedly and smiled when Santana leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Of course it is baby. "

Santana was really grateful for the list of questions. She thought she already knew everything there was to know about her girlfriend, but she was greatly mistaken. Each answer that Brittany revealed was fresh and new. Santana's heart squeezed tight, because she knew that this was how it would always be with her girl. Brittany looked at the world through Rainbow tinted lenses and everything she saw and experienced was just so damned interesting.

_What is your favorite Scent? _

"It's definitely _not Skunk!" _

Poor Britt. She still hadn't gotten over the trauma her olfactory senses suffered at the football game. However, she was still pestering Rachel about coming up with a new _pretty smell_ that she should douse the Cheerios with.

"I like how cotton candy smells, and Lord Tubbington's paws smell like warm corn chips."

Santana rolled her eyes at that one. Lord Tubbington's paws did _not _smell like corn chips (warm or otherwise). They smelled more like moldy cheddar cheese from all of his dipping into the 'Fondue for Two' pot!

"I like how snowflakes smell, and burnt potato chips, and Rachel's meat free chocolate chip cookies."

"Ewww…Brittany, it's _vegan_, say vegan please! Gah… now every time I eat a chocolate chip cookie that _isn't_ _vegan_, I'm going to wonder what the chocolate chips are made out of? Gross…Ick and Yuk!"

(giggle)

" I like the smell of lilacs and lavender, cedar and cinnamon…umm…roses and violets too… but what I like the scent of most, San, is the yummiest, yummy, scent of You!"

"Ay Dios Mio!" (blush…I'm gonna kill Rachel Berry, then burn her stupid bad poetry collection.)

_"What is your favorite book?"_

Santana asked that question with a little trepidation. She knew Brittany read books. All kinds of books, but half of the time she didn't know if Brittany was actually _reading_ them for their content. Her bookshelf was loaded with everything from comic books and coloring books, to incredibly weird kinds of cook books. There was one large tome that was dedicated to cat diseases. There was a copy of, 'She's come Undone' resting side by side with 'Catcher in the Rye.' Dostoevsky's 'The Idiot' was currently serving the purpose of her night lamp pedestal.

Asking Brittany about her reading habits usually just led them into a conversation about how 'funny' words were. She would open a book, any book, and point at a random word, like; 'hymen' for example.

_"I think the people who made up this word were sexist San. I mean they named my lady part to say 'hi' to men. Like, I definitely don't want to be saying 'hi' with my lady parts to boys anymore, and lots of girls don't want to either. I'm gonna ask Rachel to start a petition to get the word hymen changed to 'byemen,'… or maybe something like ooh…oo..'attagirl.' That's lots better don't you think San?" _

_Nod._

And so, Santana waited with bated breath to hear Brittany's answer to what her favorite book might be.

"The missing piece meets the big O."

"Oh…I don't really know that book Britt?"

"That's coz it's really old San, and it was like, a kids book but not really because I think the message was really for grown ups. You know how really little kids are all fun, and happy, and want to play everything and try everything San?"

Nod.

"Well, they only stop being happy and fun when the grown ups tell them how they should be, and to change so they're like everyone else.

Well, in this book, the 'missing piece' is trying to do that: Fit in. It looks like a piece of pizza and it keeps finding other pizzas that look like pac mans to try and fit itself with, but none of the other pieces really fit. Or they run away, or they grow too big, or are too small.

So, the 'missing piece' ends up all alone because he just doesn't fit with any of the other pizza pieces, or pac mans. Then one day he meets a piece that isn't a piece at all. It's all whole, like finished. You know, like an O…" Brittany drew a circle in the air with her finger so Santana would see what she meant. Santana nodded her understanding, while smiling brightly at her amazing girlfriend.

"…And the 'missing piece' is all like: 'What. Are. You?' And the big O is like: 'I'm myself.'

And the missing piece is like: 'huh? You can do that? Be yourself?'

And the big O is like: 'Yeah! You should try it.'…and then the big O leaves the 'missing piece' to think about it.

It takes some time, San, but the missing piece decides to be itself, and it gets really happy…

….and that's my favorite book today, San, because it's Gay Day. That's what Gay Day is all about San…us just being ourselves and not having to 'fit in' but just be what we are. Then we'll get really happy like the the big O, and the missing piece did."

Santana lost her voice for words. All she could do was reel with the wonder that was her girlfriend, and nod in agreement with everything that Brittany had said. She really wanted to 'get really happy' too. She began that quest by leaning in and kissing her girlfriend fully, in front of everyone else in the lunch room. This act just happened to be timed perfectly with Finn Hudson's unscheduled lip lock with Noah Puckerman.

And so the cheers, and whistles, and catcalls echoing throughout the lunchroom were a resounding validation for everyone who felt a little different, who thought they didn't fit. Because, really, it's so much better to be a big O. To be whole, to be yourself, and to _let_ yourself get _really happy,_ even if you are a little bit different.

….

(Friday, Feb 8th, the day after Gay Day)

**Act III, Scene IV: Not so random acts of Overt Transparency**

Rachel ordered 16 posters that were 8 feet wide and 4 feet tall. She created the massive image herself in Photoshop and sent it off to one of those on-line print houses. The leftover balance of her birthday money (that she had been saving since the sixth grade) was used to pay for the posters.

Rachel's giant creation was a collage of photographs that documented events which spanned over one hundred and seventy five years. Almost all of the photos were real, taken from an on-line archive of historical events. A small handful of the images were taken from old newspaper drawings, which served the purpose of the camera before it was invented. She also used still shots from several film dramas; those events were true and factual, however Rachel was unable to find any real documentary imagery, so she improvised with the film versions.

The 8 foot by 4 foot posters were impressively sharp and clean; Rachel did a commendable job of piecing everything together so the overall effect was that of a seamless, terrifying nightmare. The colors were both bright and vibrant, yet dark and shadowy. Many of the photos were black and white, but she made certain to space the more colorful images in-between, to give the whole of the work a balanced contrast; the composition was exceptional, but it was hideous to gaze upon.

Mushroom Clouds and blown up buildings.

Starving, emaciated children; weeping as they were torn away from their equally starving, emaciated parents: torn away by goose-stepping soldiers wearing armbands with twisted crosses.

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bodies dumped into hastily excavated ditches.

A woman wearing a berkah getting stoned in the street by a mob of angry men.

People bent and slouched, their bodies burdened by heavy chains while being auctioned off at the slave market.

A man being lynched by a group of people wearing white robes with pointy hooded masks.

A church exploding.

Trains and buses and cars erupting into balls of flame.

A President shot as he waves to the crowd from the back of a stretch limousine.

A man who dreamed of equality and hope for future generations is shot on a balcony.

A simple musician who dared to imagine, lies on the sidewalk: shot. Dead.

A young man beaten, left to die near an open field, crucified on a barbed wire fence.

A man being dragged by the ankles on a length of rope; a rope that's attached to a speeding pick-up truck.

Two boys shooting up a school; people in the parking lot screaming and crying and bleeding.

Airplanes crashing into skyscrapers.

Bombs dropping from the sky into cities full of shellshocked people.

Men, and women, and children, with parts of their bodies blown off.

Men, women, and children, getting hacked to pieces by machete wielding angry men and boys.

People screaming, and crying, and dying in a gory hateful mess.

There was no order to how the images were assembled, as this was not a history lesson in the strictest sense. This was a humanity lesson. Across the top of the giant poster were two words typeset in bold, black, blocky print: HATE = THIS

Noah, Lauren, Mike, Mercedes and Sam visited the school in the early hours of the morning to take care of displaying Rachel's posters. The huge single sheets of sickening imagery were carefully tacked over the wonderful photographs and memories so as not to do them any damage.

_Overt Transparency_ is when an organization seeks to make information available.

This _information_, this message was blatantly Overt and Transparent in the heavy handed way it was being delivered. _The Sledge Hammer Technique_ is what her Daddy dubbed most of Rachel's high powered manipulations whenever she was gearing up to bully her Dad and Daddy for something she really wanted.

Well, she really wanted the McKinley students to get this _information_, which was in stark contrast to her much longer, slow burning, campaign of LOVE. Taking a whole month to build up her Subliminal Seduction, easing the students into feeling good slowly. One day at a time, inviting them to participate by bringing in their own photos, encouraging discussions that would allow the students to share the stories behind the pictures they brought in.

After a month of sharing feel good photos and listening to inspiring music. Classical music to start with, no heavy orchestra; she preferred the sensual seduction of the Violin or Cello, or the ethereal, yet mesmerizing quality of the Flute or Clarinet. After a week of soothing instrumental pieces she eased them into Popular Music featuring specific themes. Rachel was amazed that no one complained (except for Azimo) but then again, the whole Scene had happened at a snails pace; a comforting lull, a lazy stroll on a sunny day compared to the slap in the face the students would receive in the morning.

So, after a month of sharing photos of their loved ones, and the stories behind them; a month of gentle and soothing, and sometimes inspiring music; after participating in, and experiencing the overwhelming and surprising success of _Gay Day_...

...Rachel _knew_ what she and Quinn, and Brittany and Santana would be met with when they walked down the halls at school that morning. Because, as Azmio had very clearly pointed out: "It _was_ a big set-up…A giant manipulation."

The students would be in shock. Who wouldn't be? Some of those hateful images were unbearable to look at. Individually, each and every one was awful. Complied together as they were, made the impact absolutely devastating.

Arriving at school on Friday, after a day of surprising fun and odd camaraderie, it _was_ shocking to be bombarded by the hellish imagery on _their_ bulletin boards. Every single bulletin board (except for the one near the auditorium) was covered with those massive posters, which hosted a gallery of the most horrible and terrifying atrocities humanity has ever inflicted upon itself.

The halls were silent, except for the eerily poignant 'Pie Jesu,' from _Requiem_ performed by Charlotte Church, which Rachel had playing on a loop; the volume was low but it penetrated every hallway eliciting a moody, sorrowful ambience.

Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu

Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu

Qui tollis peccata mundi

Dona eis requiem

Dona eis requiem

(_Lord, have mercy_

_Lord, have mercy_

_You who take away the sins of the world_

_Grant them rest_

_Grant them rest)_

Students weren't talking to one another, or if they were, they were whispering quietly and asking why? Who did it? Most of them thought that Deputy Minnie Sparkle had put the posters up, and they were afraid to tear them down.

Many of the kids just stood in front of the HATE filled bulletin boards and stared for long moments. All of them had looked. Some couldn't stomach it for long, while others seemed to wallow.

All the while that beautifully devastating aria continued to float throughout the corridors.

Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei

Qui tollis peccata mundi

Dona eis requiem

Dona eis requiem

Sempiternam, sempiternam requiem

(Lamb of God, Lamb of God

Lamb of God, Lamb of God

You who take away the sins of the world

Grant them rest

Grant them rest

Rest everlasting, everlasting)

Some of the kids had tears in their eyes, most of them were somber and grief stricken, but others were angry.

Angry because their 'feel good' about the day before was being maligned, and so were _their bulletin boards_. Their safe spot. Their _free zone_ had been covered with HATE and PAIN and HORROR, and they wanted it gone.

Rachel felt it too, even though she had assembled the giant posters, taking months to find the images, clean them up and put them into the most provoking composition. She would wake up screaming in the night as some of those images haunted her still.

Yes, she could feel the mental whiplash that her fellow students were feeling upon gazing at those bulletin boards.

Because, everything they experienced in the past month, and yesterday on Gay Day, was put into context for them. Love feels a lot better than Hate. And, compared to the horrors on those bulletin boards; getting upset because two girls were in love, or two boys, could only be petty and small minded.

This is why she _knew, _that when she and Quinn, and Santana and Brittany, strolled down the hall holding hands that morning, proudly wearing their tee shirts the day after Gay Day. The day when everything would go back to _normal,_ Rachel _knew_ what would happen.

Nothing.

Well, nothing too bad at least. Hopefully.

Some of the kids quirked their eyebrows in surprise upon glimpsing the four girls, but their features quickly shifted into grins or open smiles. Some were nodding and shrugging their shoulders as if to say 'duh, we knew that all along.' Suddenly the halls became cheerful again. The girls progression through the school had the effect of a cleansing breeze. The enormity of what the girls were doing was not lost on the students of McKinley High School, and many of them began to clap in offer of their support. Others were taking their tee shirts off and turning them inside out, or rather, _Right_ side _OUT_. Others still, were frantically digging in their back packs and pulling their tee shirts on.

By the time the two couples reached their lockers the corridors were filled with applause and whistles and cheers. Kurt, Noah, and Sam, were the first to start the hugging and it seemed as if the whole of the school was lining up to join in. The first bell rang and everyone ignored it, in favor of getting a chance to hug _Rachel Berry,_ Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, and Brittany Pierce: the first two openly Gay couples to stride down the Halls of McKinley High School.

**"Gay Day is over Dykes, what in hell do you think you're doing?" **

Oh, oh.

Sigh…

Silence…

_Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu_

_Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu_

_Qui tollis peccata mundi_

_Dona eis requiem_

_Dona eis requiem_

Azimo Adams had planted himself in the center of the hallway with his arms crossed, his expression was dark and menacing. Behind him stood Mickey Everson, Jared Paulson and Gary Todd. His buddies, his crew, his partners in intimidation. They had his back and he felt confident that this situation would turn itself around with a little bit of persuasion. After all, Azimo and his _crew_ had been doing this type of _persuasion_ for years; surely they still held their sway.

But what he didn't see was the expression on the faces of his 'crew.' The shock and disappointment each boy displayed. Hadn't Azimo learned anything? Didn't he see those posters? Didn't he see he was losing? That he had already lost? That the girls he was about to harass were supported and loved?

Rachel turned to face the boy and shook her head sadly. She had somewhat prepared herself for this. Of all the students in the school she knew that Azimo would be the hardest to win over, she knew he would put up the biggest resistance.

"It's _Gay Day_ every day for me Azimo, which is to say that I am happy all the time. Especially because I have the most beautiful and wonderful girlfriend in the school." Rachel responded to the bully's hateful statement without a hitch, then stretched up on her tippy toes to kiss Quinn's cheek. The Cheerio blushed, but smiled fondly at her girlfriend while wrapping her arm around her protectively.

"Awwww…" Was uttered throughout the hallway and another round of applause ignited.

"I beg to differ Berry, I have the _hottest_ girlfriend in the school." Santana exclaimed before planting a chaste kiss on Brittany's mouth. She was tempted to make the kiss a steamy one, but decided that _now_ was not the time to be winding Azimo up.

The hall filled up with laughter and more applause at Santana's comment, as well as her obvious adoration of her girlfriend.

**"What the hell is wrong with all of you?"** Azimo screeched into the halls, **"You've all been brainwashed. I don't have to be around this crap and I won't. You Dykes had better keep that shit to yourselves or you're going to **_**BE SORRY!**_**"**

Azimo was enraged, he took a lunge forward but was stopped before he could advance a single step. Mickey and Jared snagged him simultaneously, each grabbing a shoulder and holding on tight.

"It's over Az, you better just accept it. Didn't you learn anything at all yesterday?…" Mickey asked his friend curiously, ..."Didn't you see the bulletin boards today?…" His tone was incredulous. "…No one wants this anymore Azimo… they never did… no one wants your bullshit anymore…or mine either. I'm done being a bully Az, you'll have to go it alone from now on." Mickey nodded his head firmly, he let go of Azimo's shoulder and walked over to place himself in front of Santana, Brittany, Rachel and Quinn.

Azimo was stunned by the betrayal, but at least he still had Jared and Gary. They would back him up, he was certain. The three of them could still pull some weight around here, and they could recruit some other kids. He turned to look at Jared for his support only to find that Jared and Gary had joined Mickey. His eyes 'bugged' out of his head as he gaped at the two boys.

Jared and Gary were holding hands. They were planted in front of Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray and the look they were shooting him was full of defiance.

_Oh my God. No. No... NO! Paulson and Todd could not be fags! He would have known that. They all spent so much time together, he would have been able to tell. They were just being wimps and caving in to all the pressure… no way… NO WAY!…_

**"We're done with you Azimo…"** Jared declared loudly so everyone in the crowded hallway could hear. **"Gary and I are done being your** **'**_**go to goons'**_ **Azimo. We're tired of being terrified that someone would find out. We're tired of being mean and hurting people because we were so frightened. And we're sorry, we're so sorry to all of you… **I'm so sorry… _so sorry..._" Jared's words tapered off as Gary pulled him into his arms. He spoke softly over his boyfriend's shoulder, but loud enough that most everyone heard what he had to say.

"We're done being your friend Azimo…at least until you change your heart. Give us a call when you're ready to be brave. We'll go hang out at the Floorworks like old times. Me and Jared, and Jeremy, and Mickey… and you too Az… when you're ready."

And with that said, the show was over. Everyone turned their backs on Azimo Adams as they hurried off to be on time for home room. The poor boy stood alone in an empty corridor, left by himself with that sad music; it was taunting him. He felt more lost than at any other time in his life.

_Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei_

_Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei_

_Qui tollis peccata mundi_

_Dona eis requiem_

_Dona eis requiem_

_Sempiternam, sempiternam requiem_

…..

(Friday evening, McKinley High School gym.)

**The Gay Day Dance**

"I really didn't like the posters you put up Deputy Sparkle, I understand why you did it, but still, I think you went a little overboard. You must have a lot of free time on your hands to be able to put so much time and effort into our school? But…um…anyway… what I really wanted to say was, Thank You. Thank you for everything Deputy. What you did for us saved lives, I'm sure. You'll never know about it because those kids who were hurting aren't hurting so bad now, and they probably won't come and tell you…so…um. I'm telling you. Thank You. Oh… and, I'm really glad you posted my essay… um… bye…"

David Karofsky waved his hand at Deputy Minnie Sparkle, then wandered off in search of his pretend boyfriend. Sam had promised to dance with him tonight and he was going to claim that dance.

Minnie nodded uncertainly at the boy, confused by something that he had said. She smiled at him too, it was kind of hard not to, he was so damned happy. But, crap! That was the fifth cryptic comment that made reference to her use of the 'bulletin boards.' Plural! She had only used one damned bulletin board. What the hell were they talking about? She hadn't been in the school during the day today, and by the time that she and Gillian had arrived, whatever the big _to do_ was, had already been taken down. Hmph!

That little sneak pulled off another prank and Minnie was getting the credit for it. Or the blame, depending on who she had to suffer a conversation with. Figgins was the worst of them, but she could hardly understand half of what that nut job was saying to her. Sue Sylvester was a lot of things, but as far as Minnie could tell, the Cheerio's Coach was most certainly _not_ a _CHAIR. WTF was that crazy man talking about? Happy Tree Trance? What the fuck is a Happy Tree Trance?_

And those tee shirts!

Every kid in the gym was wearing a Sheriff's issue brown tee shirt that said: Likes Girls. Or: Likes Boys. And a handful were wearing shirts that said: BI, or, TG, on them. In a show of support for the whole Gay Day experience most of the kids were wearing their tee shirts inside out. Or, 'Right side _OUT _'… is what they were calling it.

Rachel had printed both the inside and the outside of the tee shirts with different slogans, allowing the students to decide which they would wear to school the day after Gay Day. Most of the girls were proudly displaying 'Likes Girls,' and more than half of the boys were brave enough to walk around with 'Likes Boys' emblazoned in bright glowing Pink across their chests.

Wow!

_I thought Rachel said she was going to use White ink?_

Minnie's curiosity was interrupted when Gillian asked her to dance.

"Are you serious?"

"Darling, if these teenagers can be so brave, don't you think it's about time I grow a pair?" Captain Monroe laughed out loud at her girlfriend's startled expression, before grabbing her hand and dragging her out to the dance floor.

Rachel's Dad and Daddy had volunteered to be Chaperones for the Gay Day dance and were having a blast. They were dazzling the crowd of McKinley students with their adorably dorky dance moves. Peter and Judy were also Chaperones, along with a handful of the Officers who assisted Minnie on Gay Day.

Quinn was eyeing her mother and Peter speculatively. More specifically, she was eyeing Peter. She and Rachel were slow dancing, snuggled up close. Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and tucked her head upon the Cheerio's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, I think you're over reacting." The little diva tried to soothe her irritated girlfriend. "They're just dancing, it's not like they're making out or anything.

"Ack! Don't even say that Rachel, now I have an awful image in my head!" Quinn spun Rachel around so she could keep her eye on Peter. "Besides, he's like ten years older than her!"

Rachel giggled at her girlfriend's indignation. No matter who it was, whomever Judy dated was going to get the third degree by her over protective daughter. Rachel had to admit, that wasn't such a bad thing considering how much the mother and daughter had gone through. She felt a little bad for Peter though, the poor man had no idea what he was getting into. She giggled with the thought, knowing in her heart that everything would be okay. She was quickly distracted from her thoughts when the surprising sight of a certain couple had made their way onto the dance floor.

"Gahh….Quinn! Move… hurry, hurry, hurry!" Rachel exclaimed, before snatching Quinn's hand and dragging her clear across the gym in less than two seconds.

"Oww… Rachel, what the hell?"

"Shhssh… I'm hiding from DeputyMinnieSparkle!" The diva explained. Rachel only used Minnie's title like that when she was particularly amused by something their friend had said or done.

"Why?" Quinn arched her eyebrow.

"Umm… well, she didn't really know about the posters. I know that I _implied_ that I told her about them, but …ah… I really didn't…and um.. I think she's getting all the credit… OH MY GOD, she's coming over here!" Rachel squealed and dragged Quinn across the gym again.

Gillian and Minnie laughed delightedly, this was going to be a fun evening. They could dance together all night long while chasing that little sneak around the dance floor.

Just then, Noah Puckerman and Finn Hudson danced into their line of view.

"What is Noah doing to that poor boy?" Gillian asked in a strangled voice.

Poor Finn. Puck had both of his hands clasped over Finn's butt cheeks; the pervy boy was squeezing, and swooning, and laughing wickedly. Finn was blushing furiously, huffing and swatting, all the while trying desperately to wiggle away.

"Oh look San, Puck is feeling up Finn's hiney... again!"

Peals of laughter...

**To be continued.**

_Lyrics to Pie Jesu, belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber, no copyright infringement intended._

_The missing piece meets the big O. belongs to Shel Silverstein. No copyright infringement intended._

_(I did abbreviate the story for the benefit of Brittany's explanation)_

The next chapter is the last Scene and last Chapter_._


	45. The Rainbow Brigade

**Revenge is a dish best served as humble pie.**

**Glee**

**Pairing: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray**

**Author: myIllusion**

**Rating: M**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters-no copyright infringement intended._

…

_Okay, so here we go, the final chapter, including Act III, Scene V: The Rainbow Brigade. _

_On with the show!_

_Smut at the very end, involving 'toys'. If you don't like this sort of thing stop reading at the end of the song. _

…_.._

**Chapter XLV. "The Rainbow Brigade."**

(April, 22, Tuesday evening)

**Rachel's Lab Oratory**

"It's too crowded in here Berry. We'll never get enough of this brew mixed up if we don't spread out some more, why can't we ask Peter to use his workshop, just for the rest of this week? " Santana was complaining about the working conditions again. Rachel shot the girl a death glare, rolled her eyes, and jerked her head in Quinn's direction. Not so subtly reminding the Latina of Quinn's recent aversion to all things Peter.

Ugh.

Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Rachel, Quinn and Santana were working this shift. Brittany, Puck, Lauren, Sam, Artie, and Mike were working tomorrow's shift. Rachel was running a production line with a deadline in mind. Brittany was in charge of the other crew, while Rachel supervised the current work force. They had to finish by the end of this week, pouching need to be completed over the weekend, and the final packets assembled. They were running out of time! Darn.

"Are you _still _riding Peter's ass Quinn?" Santana ignored Rachel's unspoken plea to leave the matter alone. "Give the guy a break already. My God Q. your mother could do so much worse, what is your fucking problem? You love Peter! We all do, so why is this twisting your panties so bad?" The Head Cheerio's Second in Command continued to badger her friend, knowing she was stirring a kettle that was ready to blow.

"San_tana_…" Rachel warned out loud this time.

"No Rachel, I think it's time we find out, _for real, _what your girl has up her butt about Peter and Judy."

Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina, pretended to be invisible while tending their pots of bubbling brew. The tension in the room was escalating and they could not afford to ruin another batch because of Quinn and Santana's bickering. Twelve pots on twelve burners in the final stages of refinement were at stake. The formula was Rachel's own concoction; it was tedious to make, and time consuming, but altogether brilliant. Peter had submitted the unique contrivance for a Patent. He concluded that if Rachel really wanted, she could make a zillion dollars if she sold the formula to a responsible company. It was nice to know that if her dream of having a Broadway career was unfathomably unsuccessful, she could support her family with the profits derived from the invention of Pranks.

Quinn still hadn't responded to Santana's needling. Her back was turned to the rest of them. She had taken her burners and her two pots to the little table in the corner by the cleaning materials. What Quinn didn't know, while showing her back to rest of the occupants in the room, was that Santana had flipped the switch to ON, on Rachel's surveillance cameras, and that Peter was in his workshop watching the goings on.

"I just got my mom back." Quinn finally answered Santana's questions to the surprise of everyone in the room. Her voice was barley audible, it sounded kind of wispy, or like an echo, because of all ambient noise created by the roiling bubbles in the pots that were being tended.

"And Peter is like another Daddy for Rachel, and he's been like one to me too…what if it doesn't work out between them? I liked things how they were. I could have them both in my life. But what if it doesn't work out between them? I don't want to lose Peter if they break up. And I don't want my mom to be sad. What if they hurt each other? Not on purpose…I…I… know that neither would do that on p..pp..purpose, but what if it happens anyway?"

Quinn still had her back to the room. It was obvious by the stuttering, and the way her voice was cracking that she was crying, which was a little heartbreaking to watch and listen to. Everyone continued to stir their pots, the bubbles seemed louder and louder and louder, as a vacuum of verbal silence encompassed the group of teens. Rachel was torn between comforting her girlfriend and leaving her pots unattended. She didn't really give a damn about losing her batch, except that reading Quinn's emotions could be tricky sometimes. Knowing when to move in and give her a hug to soothe, and knowing when her girlfriend would not be receptive was a difficult challenge. However, right now, with all the bubbling liquids, and flames, and tears, the current situation was potentially explosive.

The wind outside gusted and howled just as the door to the lab was pushed open. Peter let himself inside, strode quietly across the room, and helped himself to one of Quinn's stir rods. He plucked it out of her hand with ease and continued the stirring motion without a hitch. Now, both of them had their backs to the room, they stirred the contents of the pots together. Rachel, Santana, Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt continued to tend their own pots, they focused their gazes on the task at hand, pretending to be invisible.

"You know what sweetheart?" Peter gently asked the Head Cheerio, his voice was warm and flooded with emotion.

"…Sniffle…sniffle…what?..."

"I'll always love you. No matter what happens… I'll always be your friend, Quinn, and I will always be here for you! Always!"

"…Sniffle…sob…sniffle…_really?_…"

Quinn continued to stir. Peter continued to stir, but he still managed to lean over and gently kiss the blonde on the top of her head.

"_Really!_"

"….Sob…sniffle…sob….bubble…sob, sniffle… bubble…sniffle…" (From everyone in the room except Santana)

"Gracias a Dios! Now can we use Peter's workshop? I'm gonna go berserks again if I have to do another shift in this tiny room! Listening to Lady Hummel and Wheezy squee their pants over Orville and Trouty Mouth has made my ears bleed."

"_**SANTANA!**_" Was shouted by everyone before the whole room erupted in relieved giggles.

And still, the pots continued to be stirred; the roiling and boiling of bubbles sounded more like laughter now, instead of trouble.

Everything would be okay.

...

_**What more could the Skunker possibly accomplish?**_

That question still reverberated through the mind of a hopelessly sad and terribly angry boy. A boy who had taken to stalking Rachel Berry throughout the school on a daily basis. He didn't talk to her, or threaten her in any way. He just became her shadow, always there, always lurking and staring, and pissing off her girlfriend.

The Cheerio's face was Rage Red, her eyebrow was arched in _that way; _it communicated very clearly that you shouldn't move, or twitch, or even breathe. Because if you do, her giant stinger will become uncloaked; it will paralyze you instantly and she will devour your soul like a nightmare figure come to life. In other words, Azimo had provoked 'Scary Quinn.'

" 'Zimo! I will not repeat myself again. This is your final warning! You stay the fuck away from Rachel. You're acting like a _Psycho Creeper_ and I've reached the boundaries of my tolerance. Everyone knows how much you hate her, you haven't made it a secret after all, but you're really starting to 'BUG' me with all this stalking _CRAP_…"

Quinn paused for a moment to allow the tension to build before finishing her reprimand. "And, just so we're clear, before I file a restraining order against your sorry ass, I'll get you fucking expelled!"

Quinn Fabray was livid. L. I. V. I. D. That's Divil backwards, which Brittany informed her earlier in the day was pronounced: De evil.

"He's got 'De evil' in him, Quinn, that's why you're all Lived and squiggidy. I'll talk to him because he doesn't know why he's blaming Rachel for everything. He's scared Quinn, and whenever Azimo is scared he finds someone to pick on. That someone has always been Rachel. You know what else Quinn? No one is letting him be a bully anymore, that's why he's following Rach around…it's coz he doesn't know what else to do."

Quinn agreed with Brittany. Well, she agreed that Brittany could go ahead and talk to Azimo, but that didn't stop her from having a little chat with him herself. So, that's what she was doing. She was talking to (threatening) the surly boy, and he was listening. Sort of. He afforded her a subtle nod, shrugged his shoulders when she was finished and very politely asked her, "Can I go now Q. ?"

Sigh...

The football player was acting so weird. He hadn't threatened Rachel in any way, but he was definitely behaving like a first class Nutter. Quinn didn't think she could handle another incident with a Psychopath. Two (in one year) was quite enough already, which is why she decided to confront Azimo. Again! She wanted to prevent another escalation into violence, but she was really at a loss with how the boy was behaving. Maybe Brittany could talk some sense into him after all. She hoped so because she really didn't want to call Minnie in on this one.

Quinn really wanted to believe in Rachel and Brittany. They both insisted that Azimo was different. Well, different than Stephanie and Nate; meaning they thought he could change, that he was just frightened and confused. Azimo didn't have a support system at home, but maybe, just maybe he could find one at school.

Honestly, McKinley High School didn't magically turn into The Big Eden*. No, there were still plenty of mean and unhappy people. There would always be mean and unhappy people. It was some kind of karmic law or something. One group of big stupid jerks, will inevitably be replaced by a group of bigger and stupider jerks.

But the difference was how the rest of the students reacted to the jerks. Blatant harassment wasn't tolerated in the hallways, or the locker rooms, or the lunchroom. It was no longer okay to push, shove, trip, slushy, dumpster toss, toilet swirly, or viciously disparage another student in front of a crowd. The formerly silent student majority would not put up with it.

Why?

Because, not only did Deputy Minnie Sparkle run a super successful anti-hate crime exercise, but she also set up a buddy network. This was accomplished during Rachel and Santana's Community Service. Oh, the girls gave _Singing Lessons_ as was detailed in the court order, but they used this time to implement Minnie's network as well.

Also, because Rachel and the glee club had become somewhat prestigious, the list of students who signed up for singing lessons was overflowing. Rachel was delighted and overjoyed, while Santana reverted to cursing in Spanish. Their first lesson started off a bit unorganized as the two girls couldn't agree upon a teaching method.

"Listen up Hobbie Horse, I got this. None of these zeros can carry a tune, much less identify a key. Do you really think having them practice scales is going to keep them interested? It'll take you half an hour just to get through your marathon snooze inducing lecture. They will flee from this room! You will no longer be BAMF. All that oohing and awing that you have _not so secretly_ come to love…"

Santana paused to demonstrate, "...ooooh…look, it's _Rachel_, isn't _she_ SWELL. Awwww, _Rachel_ is sooooo DREAMY.' " Her voice was dripping with syrupy sarcasm; the expression she wore could wilt Lucifer's horns.

Santana pulled Rachel into Mr. Schue's office to finish their little pre-class discussion as the choir room was filled to bursting with eager students. The little diva crossed her arms, blinked her overly long lashes, once, twice, thrice; before revealing the longing and sadness within the depths of those deep brown eyes. She stuck out her bottom lip, attempting to disarm the fiery Latina with her irresistible adorableness.

"That doe eyed bullshit only works on Q, _Peanut_. Although I have to say I kind of get it, because Britt does the same thing to me and she always wins. But guess what _Smurfette_? I'm immune to your Bambi impersonation, so just listen to me for once in your stubborn fun sized life."

Stomp! (pout)

"We want to keep _all_ of these students in our class Rachel. I know I pretended that it bothered me earlier, but now we have this network to set up for Minnie, and we need these kids to make this work…okay?"

Sigh…

"Okay. You are right of course, Santana, I just got so excited to see so many students wanting to learn how to sing…I..I.. but I completely agree with your assessment. I don't even like to sing scales so that would not have been the best approach. What do you suggest we do?"

Santana smiled approvingly at her friend.

"Let them sing, Rachel. Let them sing the stuff they _want_ to sing. Maybe we'll finally get to have a little fun too, especially because we don't have Mr. Schue in our face clubbing us with his stone age set lists. Let's just have fun, Rach, please?" Santana begged, while charming Rachel with another brilliant smile.

Rachel loved it when Santana called her Rach. To her this was the ultimate form of acceptance and love from the feisty girl. Santana still called Rachel names, occasionally, and teased her about her height, and her wardrobe, but none of the jibes carried any sting, they were more a show of prickly affection.

Rachel liked it best, though, when every once in a while Santana truly let her soft side show. Those were the times when the beautiful girl smiled warmly and openly, like she just had, and she spoke softly without the ever-present edge in her voice. And because such displays were exceedingly rare, they usually succeeded in melting the diva's heart just a little bit. Like just now. Rachel's eyes welled up, and before Santana knew what was happening her arms were full of a teary eyed _midget_.

"Ay Dios mio!"

And so, Rachel and Santana's Community Service became the most popular extracurricular activity in the school. Everyone wanted in. The girls extended their court ordered schedule by adding two additional classes, effectively creating three two hour sessions a week, instead of just the one that was required. All of their students signed up for the _Rainbow Brigade_, which was the title Rachel insisted upon for Minnie's network.

It was really very simple. They used Mr. Schuester's hat and dropped an assortment of multi colored bracelets inside. Each student picked a Color and thus the teams were formed: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Each member was given a box of the same colored bracelets to pass out to their friends, and their friends, friends. A rotating schedule was created so that every day at school, the Rainbow Brigade was in charge of student safety.

The Volleyball teams and Baseball teams had already started a similar program, which they easily merged with the Rainbow Brigade. Soon the Track and Field teams had signed up, the Marching band, the Pep band, the A.V. club, and the Debate Club. In less than two weeks almost every student organization belonged to the Rainbow Brigade.

So, yes, it was very difficult to be a bully at McKinley high school. At least openly. That doesn't mean that students didn't squabble or disagree. It doesn't mean there weren't divisions among groups, but the formerly hateful and aggressive animosity was gone.

…..

**A conversation.**

"I know why you hate Rachel so much."

Brittany Pierce slipped inside the Janitor's Closet (Rachel's office) and confronted one very irritated Azimo Adams. The football player was seated on one of Rachel's office chairs (an overturned bucket) brooding by himself in the dark.

"What makes you think I give a damn about what you know or don't know Pierce? Get lost. I finally found a place I can sit and not have to be around all you freaks, or listen to you either. Why can't you just leave me alone?" Azimo didn't know it but he was really sad, and really scared. He thought he was angry, and that's how he acted on the outside, but Brittany knew better.

The cheerful Cheerio helped herself to a bucket seat of her own, pulled the chord that was dangling from the ceiling, which filled the dreary closet with soft yellow light.

"You hate Rachel because she makes you afraid doesn't she? Rachel is so small, and pretty, and soft, and cuddly, and smart, and sassy…sexy too. And all those things really bug you don't they? It bugs you because you think she doesn't have the right to be all those things… and so much more. You think she should be scared too. Just like you. But she's not scared, and she never has been, and that makes you really mad.

Rachel's been hurt, and threatened, and insulted, and tormented, and she was never once afraid. She was sad lots, but never afraid. And that just made you even madder, didn't it Azimo? Because you're so scared all of the time. You thought if you could make a big enough example out of someone else, then no one would notice how frightened you really are. You thought if you could scare other people they might not notice how scared you are. And it worked didn't it? You got everyone in the school to let you do whatever you wanted because they were all afraid of you.

Everyone, except for Rachel. You hate her because she's brave, and because she sees the real you… and you just can't have that can you Azimo? She was really nice to you when you freaked out in the hallway. She even knew that you were going to slushy her, but she helped you anyway.

And you still keep trying to make her afraid. Because you think if you could just make that happen, then everything you are trying to deny about yourself might go away. But it doesn't work that way Azimo. And just so you know, no one in this school is going to let you hurt Rachel.

Especially me."

Brittany pointed at herself and narrowed her eyes at the last hold out bully in the school.

"If you think a swarm of Bumblebees is scary Azimo, and I know you really do…" Brittany nodded her head assuredly at the boy to make him realize she was dead serious. "…well, that is nothing compared to the swarms of _thingys_ I will set loose on you. There are other things that sting like bees, but are bigger, and uglier, and faster. Do you really want _me_ mad at you Azimo? Coz, right now I'm not mad. I'm just a little…um.. what's that word? It starts with a P. Perverted? No, that's not right…um…

Azimo was gaping at the Cheerio. He could hardly believe that the biggest bimbo in the school had hunted him down in the Janitor's closet to actually _threaten_ him. Pierce was known for being kinda dumb, but mostly she was known for being _kind_, and really sweet. She wouldn't hurt a fly! Literally! But here she was, sitting on a bucket next to him, and telling him she was…

"…Petered…um… Putrid…no….PERTUBED! Yay! That's it. I'm really _pertubed_ at you.

Everyone already knows you're afraid of bees and bugs, but you're still being mean? Why? Now that everyone knows you don't have to pretend anymore. You could get some help even. Did you know that Ms. Pillsbury is afraid of germs? Germs are everywhere, and you can't even see them! I mean, if she had her way she would probly live in a plastic bubble like that boy, but she doesn't coz she's getting help. Why don't you let someone help you Azimo? Then you could stop being so mad, and sad, and get really happy. Don't you want to be happy Azimo? I can help you find someone who knows about this stuff. We can ask Ms. Pillsbury who her helper is, maybe they can help you too? "

Azimo felt something in his chest tighten. Brittany Pierce, the schools biggest bimbo, had just psychoanalyzed him. Correctly.

He knew she was right. He knew it by the tingles he could feel throughout his entire body. He knew she was right because suddenly it was difficult to breathe. Was it really that easy? Help? He would love some help. Azimo was so tired and exhausted, and frustrated, he just wanted to rage (or cry) all the time. No one ever offered to help him before, (except for Rachel) or even mentioned that help was possible. No one told him it was okay to be scared. If anything they laughed, and made fun of him because he was afraid of something so tiny as a bug. That was why he tried to hide his fears for all this time. But Pierce was right. Everyone knew now, and they teased him all the time. Could someone really help him? For real?

Azimo wiped his eyes, while Brittany Pierce (the school's most intelligent bimbo) pretended not to see. He sniffled once, cleared his throat and asked the Cheerio for a bit more clarity.

"You just threatened me with a swarm of '_somethings' _that are scarier than bees, and a moment later you offered to help me? Make up your mind Pierce. Are you gonna hurt me or help me? "

"Well… I'd really like to help you Azimo, but only if you leave Rachel alone…okay?" The Cheerio bobbed her head encouragingly as the football player finally surrendered.

"Okay."

"Yay!" Brittany exclaimed, before grabbing the boy in a firm embrace, and startling him with a crushing hug.

…

**Act III, Scene V: The Rainbow Brigade**

The irony of Rachel's final Scene was not lost on Quinn or Santana. The Color Coder of Cheerios method of chastisement, was now being offered as a reward.

On Monday, April 28, a mass email was sent to the entire McKinley High School community.

_Hello to all McKinley High School students, Faculty and Staff._

_This is a message from your Friendly Neighborhood Skunker. _

_I thought it would be fun for the whole school to be involved in one final Scene of harmless foolery before the school year ends. Not to worry, I will return next year if there is a need of my presence. But for now, I'd like to thank you all for the progress we have made toward tolerance and acceptance of one another. _

_My parting gift to all of you is the choice to participate, or not, in one final act of solidarity. This is an opportunity to show that we, the student body, (teachers and staff as well, if they so choose) embrace our differences and accept each other wholly, without prejudice or disdain._

_On the morrow, you may all proceed to the laundry room at your convenience. The glee club (who have assisted me in the past to get my messages out, but in no way have been involved in any of my schemes) will help you in choosing a packet for your participation in this FUN endeavor. The packets will be available for the entire week, as I'm sure that some of you will need the time to think this through thoroughly. _

_Think your decision through carefully; the effects will last for the entire last month of school. _

_If you choose to participate you agree to stand up and fight for your rights and the rights of your fellow students. You agree it's okay to be different, to be yourself. You agree it's your right to feel free, and safe at school, and in the world at large. You agree that being true to yourself it the only way to be true and good to others._

_If you choose not to participate, no one will hold it against you or treat you less respectfully. This experiment is about volunteering, not peer pressuring. _

_So, those of you who wish to, choose your packet and join the Rainbow Brigade!_

_yours truly,_

_The Color Coder of Cheerios, The Skunker, The Stealer of Pens, The Bard of Bad Poetry, The Tricky Trickster, The Bagger of Bloggers, The Heartless Hacker, The Mutant Messenger, The Sinker of Swimmers, The Master of Mayhem, The Maestro of Madness... _

_...Your one and only,_

_True Hearted PrankMaster._

…_._

And so, almost every student in the school agreed to dye themselves. A little less than half of the faculty and staff did as well. For this _endeavor,_ everyone got to choose their own color, and as Rachel suspected, the yellows and oranges and browns were the most popular choices. The students were brave, but not that brave. Most of them wanted colors that would fade nicely and not be so bizarre to look upon when they wandered into the real world beyond McKinley High School.

"Here comes another Eggplant…and the Strawberry is quite lovely don't you think?..."

"Uh, huh..."

"…Although, I do think the Pumpkin is just a bit too saturated….ah…there's a ripe Pineapple, and goodness, that vibrant Asparagus Green is just to die for!… Not to be mistaken for Jolly Finn Giant Green, however… oh, and here comes a Turd!"

"Yuk… _gross_ Kurt!" Mercedes punched her friend on the shoulder but followed that up with a wicked snicker.

"I'm sorry for the crassness of my vocabulary, Mercedes, but can you honestly tell me that Jacob doesn't look like a TURD? All the other browns are gorgeous. I was kind of disappointed that I chose the Peach instead, but now that I have seen a Turd, I'm quite relieved that I followed my instincts.

Really, the shade of brown he chose, combined with the shape of his body, and the way he scampers around the hallways; he looks like a Turd that got kicked off the bottom of someone's pointy toed boot."

"Stop! Enough already!…" Mercedes was doubled over in the hallway, laughing uncontrollably at Kurt's assessment of the passers-by. But then, Kurt squealed at a pitch that nearly shattered her eardrums.

"Owwww… have you lost your bloody mind?" Mercedes complained until she spotted _THEM_.

"Oh…Hell to the f*#k+ g _No!_…" Mercedes uttered, completely stupefied.

The pair was a freaking Sideshow. From head to fucking toe they were covered in Rainbow swirly patterns; like giant walking lollipops that escaped from Willie Wonka's sweatshop. "Holy Mother of Goddesses!...and Gods, I think…." Mercedes continued to sputter while Kurt had stooped shrieking, but his Peachy flesh was suddenly a little peaked.

Brittany Pierce and Azimo Adams were strolling down the hallway holding hands. Or rather, Brittany was leading a somewhat reluctant Azimo. The two were dyed the color of, well... 'Rainbow!'

Azimo's dye job was more of a challenge than Brittany's because of the difference in their skin tones. They did, however, get very creative with his hair, which was bleached with peroxide, then dyed in rainbow fashion. Also, even though Azimo's skin tone was much darker than Brittany's, it _did yield_ to the 'Patented' formula of Rachel's custom dyes.

Together they looked like the Queen and King of Bizarre-O-Land.

Brittany had been holding out on them. They knew she was spending a lot of time with the football player, and that Azimo's behavior had taken a turn for the markedly improved. But this? This was just incredible and Kurt and Mercedes were not the only two to think so. The halls were suddenly quiet as the Football player and the Cheerio trod along, slowly marching there way to a Berry Blue diva and her gorgeous Golden girlfriend.

What happened next was even more Bizarre-O.

**" I want to say something to you Rachel." **Azimo shouted in the hallway. Quinn immediately encircled Rachel with her arm and prepared herself for the worst. Every student in the hallway stopped breathing, fearing this was going to be a repeat of Azimo's cray-cray from two months earlier.

**" I think you're really nn..n…nice…and I'm sorry I've been so mean to you. I promise I won't be anymore."**

" Okay." Rachel replied quietly. She was having a difficult time responding to the boy. He looked a little insane with that freaky Rainbow dye job. Brittany was a sight to behold as well, but Brittany was just Brittany, nothing to be frightened of there.

**" And…I…I want to say I'm sorry to the School. This is me saying it. Letting Pierce color me crazy and looking the fool. I'm not going to be that mean boy anymore. That is all!"**

Azimo turned on the heel of his sneaker, intending to march back down the hall at a healthier pace, but he felt a tug at his elbow and forced himself to stop. He knew it could never be that easy. Why would anyone forgive him for all the shit he had done over the years? Everyone would still hate him, but he didn't care because he got the important part over; his apology to Rachel.

He turned to look at who was clasping his arm, and found himself drowning in deep brown eyes. _She really is pretty, and she looks soft and cuddly, just like Pierce said._ Azimo found himself looking at the little diva with new eyes. Although, she did look an awful lot like a Smurf. But still, she was everything that Brittany Pierce described. He could see it in her eyes. The kindness and the warmth seemed to bubble right out of her.

So...Azimo wasn't really that surprised when Rachel smiled up at him, before explaining what would happen next.

"I'm going to hug you now." And then she did.

What did surprise him, however; was all the other kids that hugged him too. He was crying again and didn't even mind, because for the first time in his life he felt like he belonged somewhere.

…..

**Where is the Love?**

Even with everything that transpired around the events of Gay Day (and Rachel's Scenes of her Play) the glee club managed to squeak their way into the Regional's competition. The gleeks had been woefully unprepared, and sloppy, when they pulled off the tie with Dalton Academy at Sectionals. But they had learned from that experience and were fully prepared for the Regionals competition. Santana and Rachel decided that they would just ignore Mr. Schuester while pretending to go along with everything he suggested.

The _real_ glee rehearsals were held during Community Service. The entire glee club (except for Mr. Schuester) participated in Rachel and Santana's punishment because, well, it was just so damned fun! They practiced Mr. Schue's lame ass song choices during glee, but the real show was being put together during _Singing Class_.

Their only obstacle was trying to figure out how to change the set list when they got to Regionals. Mr. Schue was in charge of turning it in and they hadn't yet figured out how to usurp his authority. The man was trying, he got points for that, but his song choices were still no better than they had previously been.

They finally decided to just show Mr. Schue that he was wrong and they were right. The two months of Community Service would be coming to an end a week before their competition. So, Rachel convinced Mr. Figgins to allow them a performance in the auditorium; to show the entire school what was learned during their _Singing Lessons_. The Principal was more than happy to oblige the little _banshee's_ request.

Deputy Minnie Sparkle was invited to attend, as was Captain Gillian Monroe. The Prosecutor, His Honorable Judge, Francis Destrampe, and the entire Sheriff's department. Rachel's Daddys would attend, along with Peter, Judy, and all the parents of the glee club, and Rachel and Santana's students.

There was no doubt about the _theme_ they would be using. The costumes were the real issue. Each of them was tinted a different hue so choosing a costume that would match was turning into a conundrum.

Of course it was Brittany who solved that problem for everyone.

"We look like a Rainbow when we stand side by side, so that's just what we'll be. A giant Rainbow! Everyone will wear the color they are, and we'll all line up in order. Except for me, of course, I'll be dancing up in front, and _magicking_ everyone."

Santana was Bright Red (the new Red Devil Girl, which had been Rachel's intent all along) Tina's color was like a _not quite ripe_ Strawberry, while Mercedes was deep Orange. Kurt was Peach, which was sort of between the Orange and Yellow. Quinn was Yellow (technically Golden). Artie had intended to be Yellow, but ended up a sort of yellowy Lime…ish.

Finn was Jolly Green Giant Green, and Sam was a deep Teal. Rachel was a very Berry Blue, Puck and Mike were both a rich Indigo, and last, but certainly not least; Lauren was _Monster_ Purple. Or, that's what she kept calling her particular shade of Violet. Rachel assured her there was no such thing.

"You are a very deep Lavender, Lauren. Monster Purple does not exist as a hue."

"It Does Too!"

"It Does _Not_!"

"Does _Too!_"

_"Does Not!"_

_**"Too!"**_

_**"Not!"**_

**TWEET!**

A whistle blew startling everyone out of the daze they had been lulled into. Watching and listening to Rachel and Lauren bicker had the same hypnotizing effect as watching a tennis volley.

Sue Sylvester marched onto the auditorium stage. She was wearing the Green Adidas today. Rachel thought that choice was atrocious considering the Bright Red of Sue Sylvester's skin tone. She looked like a Red barn wearing a Green field, or a Christmas greeting gone horribly, horribly wrong.

"…Snicker…"

Silence…

"Something funny Smurfette?" Sue stepped into Rachel's personal space and stared the girl down.

"Why yes, as a matter of fact I find the Barn Red pigment of your skin to be in appalling contrast with the Field Green of your Adidas. I have a sudden compulsion to string you up with Christmas lights and plop a Gold star on top of your head."

Silence…

"…Snort!…" "…Giggle.." "…Snicker…"

Sue just stood there staring down at the little diva, glaring with all her might and trying not to burst into inappropriate laughter. That little Smurf had moxie to spare. But no, she would not laugh at the impertinent remark. People needed to be kept on their toes. Especially clever little conniving sneaks who had the tendency for _rapid head swelling disorder_. So, Sue did was Sue Sylvester does best, she administered a dose of: KEEPING. IT. REAL!

"I didn't know Smurfs were fluent in the language of _SmartAss_. But since you have so clearly demonstrated your grasp of my particular dialect, I will share with you a little advice." Sue paused for a moment allowing the suspense to build up before enlightening the little twerp.

"Don't get cocky kid!"

And with that said, Sue moved on with the reason for her interruption of their practice.

Rachel's expression could only be described as pensive, well, that and her cheeks were turning purple from the furious blush she had going on. She nodded her acknowledgment to Coach Sylvester. Yes, she got the message loud and clear. This was how her life would always be, and she was grateful for the reminder. _Think before you speak Rachel! Darn. _Her little jibe at Sue Sylvester's ensemble was kind of insensitive, and _cocky_. What a slap in the face. A slap she needed. Whoa! It was very easy to get caught up in what was perceived as your own importance. Rachel was so grateful she had people like Sue Sylvester, and Santana, and Mercedes and Kurt, but most importantly Quinn in her life; they could always be counted on to keep her head from getting fat.

" The Governor is coming to tomorrow's assembly. Seems he's heard a thing or two about McKinley High and wants to see first hand why we all resemble a hefty carton of Crayola Crayons. I suggest you all stop bickering over your trendy skin tones and start rehearsing the tortuous tunes we'll all have to suffer through. Now… do you need any help? I find I have some extra time this afternoon. My _CHAIR_ is supervising my sixth hour class; it's got the kids doing crunches for the entire hour. My only concern is that Jacob Ben Israel has eaten Weiners and Chili for lunch again."

"Yes Coach. We would very much appreciate your assistance. Thank you." Rachel jumped at the opportunity to get back in Coach Sylvester's good graces. Actually, there was no such thing as being in Coach Sylvester's good graces, but anything was better than being caught in the crosshairs of her line of fire.

And so, the glee club performed for the entire McKinley High School Community, and the Governor of the State of Ohio.

Brad, and twelve members of the orchestra provided the music for all three of their numbers.

Kurt, Sam, Rachel and Quinn alternated singing the leads in John Lennon's, 'Imagine,' for their first song. Mercedes rocked Lady Gaga's, 'Born this Way' in the second piece, but it was their third number that was really the show stopper. It was decided that, 'Where is the Love?' By the Black Eyed Peas was the most appropriate for expressing what this community of High Schoolers was learning about life and love in the real world.

Artie wheeled himself in front of the line of gleeks, who had grown in numbers by forty. All of Rachel and Santana's students joined in for this final song. They lined themselves up according to skin tone. A giant human Rainbow covered the stage with vibrant color, swaying to and fro, emanating a brightness and a lightness that was infectious. The audience of students, teachers, parents and staff started to clap before the music even started. Just seeing the vivid display of unity, of oneness, raised the level of excitement by tenfold.

The song was a mix of rap and pop so Artie and Puck alternated verses on the rap parts. Rachel, Santana, and Mercedes performed the actual singing parts. The rest of the gleeks and the Singing Class students filled in the background chorus of each verse. Brittany's job was to _magic_ the audience with her psychedelic dye job, then dazzle them with mesmerizing dance moves.

**(Artie )**

_What's wrong with the world, mama?_

_People livin' like they ain't got no mamas_

_I think the whole world's addicted to the drama_

_Only attracted to things that'll bring the trauma_

_Overseas, yeah, we tryin' to stop terrorism_

_But we still got terrorists here livin'_

_In the U.S.A., the big C.I.A._

_The Bloods and the Crips and the KKK_

_But, if you only have love for your own race_

_Then you only leave space to discriminate_

_And to discriminate only generates hate_

_And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah_

_Madness is what you demonstrate_

_And that's exactly how anger works and operates_

_Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight_

_Take control of your mind and meditate, let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all_

**(Rachel, Santana, Mercedes, Everyone)**

_People killin', people dyin'_

_Children hurtin', you hear them cryin'?_

_Can you practice what you preach?_

_And would you turn the other cheek_

_Father, Father, Father help us_

_Send some guidance from above_

_'Cause people got me, got me questionin'_

_Where is the love?_

_(Love)_

**(Puck)**

_It just ain't the same, old ways have changed_

_New days are strange, is the world insane?_

_**If love and peace are so strong, why are there pieces of love**_

_**That don't belong?**__ Nations droppin' bombs_

_Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones_

_With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young_

_So, ask yourself is the lovin' really gone?_

_So, I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong?_

_In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in_

_Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends_

_Not respectin' each other, denyin' thy brother_

_A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover_

_The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug_

_If you never know truth then you never know love_

_Where's the love, y'all? Come on_

_(I don't know)_

_Where's the truth, y'all? Come on_

_(I don't know)_

_Where's the love, y'all?_

**(Rachel, Santana, Mercedes, Everyone)**

_People killin', people dyin'_

_Children hurtin', you hear them cryin'?_

_Can you practice what you preach?_

_And would you turn the other cheek_

_Father, Father, Father help us_

_Send some guidance from above_

_'Cause people got me, got me questionin'_

_Where is the love?_

_(The love)_

_Where is the love?_

_(The love)_

**(Artie)**

_I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder_

_As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder_

_Most of us only care about money makin'_

_Selfishness got us followin' the wrong direction_

_Wrong information always shown by the media_

_Negative images is the main criteria_

_Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria_

_Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema_

_Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity?_

_Whatever happened to the fairness and equality?_

_Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity_

_Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity_

_That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under_

_That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down_

_There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under_

_Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found and ask yourself_

**(Rachel, Santana, Mercedes, Everyone)**

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Where is the love?_

_Father, Father, Father help us_

_Send some guidance from above_

_'Cause people got me, got me questionin'_

_Where is the love?_

**(Everyone)**

_Sing with my ya'll_

_(One world, one world)_

_We only got_

_(One world, one world)_

_That's all we got_

_(One world, one world)_

When it was all over the rafters were vibrating from the shouting and stomping and cheering. Throughout the whole performance the audience got up to dance and sway; midway through the song they joined the chorus. The standing ovation lasted fifteen minutes, all the while every person in the room found someone to hug.

The assembly performance was highlighted on the evening news of every channel in the State. Rachel Maddow covered the story on MSNBC the following day. The Governor of Ohio praised McKinley High School's program of tolerance and acceptance. He made an appointment with Sheriff Ricky Berry and Deputy Minnie Sparkle to discuss their anti-hate crime exercise.

Mr. Schuester concluded that this should be their set list for the Regional competition.

**Rachel and Quinn**

Quinn tucked _it _on the left side. That felt more natural. Well, as natural as _it_ could possibly feel under the circumstances. She felt a little nauseous, but in a good way. A fluttery way. Quinn was going to surprise her girlfriend for a change. Rachel had been hinting over the last month that she might like to try something _new_. A very _specific_ something new, which included very detailed fantasies of Quinn being adorned with certain accessories. Quinn had blushed a shade of red she didn't even know existed during that conversation, but she bobbed her head at Rachel in agreement with the notion.

Rachel's Daddys were gone for the whole weekend, which meant that the girls were beside themselves with anticipation. They could have wild sex all weekend long without worrying about pajamas, or vanilla mist, or scented candles. Without the need to dampen their screams. Well, Rachel never did that anyway. At least Quinn didn't think she did. Did she? Oh my God! She wondered what Rachel's screams were going to sound like with her Daddys gone? They couldn't possibly get any louder, or shriller, could they?

The Cheerio was a girly, girl. She preferred to wear sundresses, and sometimes skirts with cardigans sweaters. She liked airy pastel colored blouses, stylish bags, clips, barrettes, and pretty ribbons for her hair. Quinn wasn't much for wearing jeans, although she did, occasionally, wear them on the weekend if she and Rachel were just going to hang around the house. Now, however, she felt it was important to get into this role for Rachel. She knew her girlfriend loved it when she took on a butchy role, which wasn't really that difficult for Quinn. She may dress like a girly, girl, but her overall attitude was that of someone who _could_ and _would_ crush you if you dared to cross her. That hadn't changed very much, except in her interactions with Rachel.

So, the HBIC was dressed to knock the socks off of her little preening diva. The black skinny jeans she wore were practically painted on. Her vest was a deep brown (faux) leather, the buttons were round and silver, but each was inlaid with a gold star gleaming in the center. Underneath the vest was nothing at all, just smooth skin, tight muscles and soft curves. She intentionally wore the belt with the silver mermaid buckle. Rachel hated that little mermaid with a passion, which Quinn thought was ridiculously hilarious.

Her eyes were lined with a rich deep brown, the shadow a golden bronze to accent the coloring of her skin. Quinn had, once again, been dyed Yellow. But this time she was able to request a _special order_. Rachel blended a little orange with a smudge of brown into the Lemon Yellow formula, which turned the Cheerio's skin into a glowing Golden luster. Quinn quite liked it, but most importantly, so did Rachel.

She finished off her outfit with a thick brown (faux) leather choker and two wrist bands to match. She left her hair loose, and teased into a wild mane. Glancing at herself in the mirror she liked was she was seeing. Mostly because she knew that Rachel would like it. The bulge protruding from the front of her jeans looked a little strange, it felt a little strange too, but also good. The tightness of her jeans was straining on the _thing_ in such a way that… _Oh God! _The Cheerio decided it was time to head over to Rachel's house before she had a mailman moment.

Quinn showed up fifteen minutes early and quietly let herself in, knowing that Rachel would be upstairs preparing herself for their weekend of debauchery. She snuck up the stairs stealthily, glided down the hall without out a sound, twisted the doorknob quietly and eased the door open.

O.M.G.

Ohhhhh, Myyyyyyy, Gawddddd.

OH. MY. GODDESS!

_Ugh! Crap. Dammit all to HELL, Rachel! And NO! Just No. NO, no, no …_

Rachel was waiting in the center of her room, completed naked, except for a fluorescent pink harness and a Berry Blue dildo standing at full attention. The Berry Blue dildo was a perfect match with her flawlessly smooth Berry Blue skin.

"I thought you would be more receptive, Quinn, if I picked a hue that would look more natural… um…er… you know, if it blended in with my current skin tone. I do have an assortment of colors and sizes, but I felt for our first time that…-"

"NO!" Quinn declared with a fierceness that completely baffled the little diva.

"No?"

"Yes Rachel, I said NO!" Quinn stomped up to her girlfriend, who was stunned into immobility. She snatched at the strap to Rachel's harness, unbuckled it, then tossed the Berry Blue dildo clear across the room.

"QUINN FABRAY!" Rachel exclaimed with indignation. "I'll have you kno…-" But before the little diva could finish her rant, Quinn moved in to silence her. Quinn was kissing her, and kissing her hard. Rachel's thoughts turned into mush once she felt that bulge in the front of Quinn's jeans push up against her.

"Oh.." She mumbled onto soft lips.

"Yes!"

….

Some little time later the girls were fumbling in the midst of their _new_ adventure.

After disrobing Quinn, which was really lots of fun, except for the part when she saw the mermaid belt buckle. Rachel decided that if Quinn could throw her Berry Blue dildo across the room, then she could put a dent in that smugly smirking naked little mermaid!

Rachel really enjoyed slowly unbuttoning the vest that Quinn was wearing and was doubly delighted with the discovery of what was underneath the vest; hard taught nipples begging to be kissed and sucked, smooth golden skin was cast in shadows from the soft light of the candles that glowed upon her desk and night stand.

It took a little while to peel those black jeans off of Quinn's slender frame.

"How did you even squeeze into them? Did you jump into them from a step ladder or something? Is your circulation cut off? I hope your circulation isn't cut off because that would really spoil any pleasure we were planni…-"

"Not helping Rach! Just yank on them!"

" I am yanking on them…"

" …they're fucking stuck!" Was uttered in unison. Both girls broke into fits of laughter with the memory of a similar situation and the early demise of a horrendous pink onesy.

A little while later the pants were finally off and Rachel had the opportunity to check out Quinn's _hardware_.

Rachel had hinted on several occasions that she might like Quinn to take her with a strap on. And Quinn had agreed. But then nothing happened. Rachel waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, she just decided to take matters into her own hands. The more she thought about the situation the more she decided that she might like to _take Quinn _instead, which is why she was garbed as she was when Quinn arrived.

But the reason Quinn had taken so much time to fulfill Rachel's fantasy was because she was having her 'implement' custom made! Quinn had commissioned a Golden dildo, which was gorgeously shaped and matched her skin tone beautifully. Her girlfriend had gone through an enormous amount of trouble (and embarrassment) to have the toy created. It was custom made for color, but more importantly, for size; Rachel was a very tiny person and Quinn didn't want to hurt her with something that would be too large.

Rachel was wooed beyond belief! After some heated making out, and curious fondling and grinding, they wandered over to Rachel's nightstand where an assortment of lubes was laid out in a semi-circle.

"Lets go with the Berry." Rachel suggested.

"How about the Cherry? Quinn, countered.

"Um…Berry, I think."

"No _really_, Cherry."

"Berry!"

"Cherry!"

"If I'm the one whose going to be licking it, I should be the one to pick the flavor!"

"You're going to lick…it?" Quinn asked with wide eyes, her mouth was hanging open.

"Well, um… yes. Isn't that what people do Quinn?… I mean, my research suggested if it's done properly, and the person performing simulated fellatio, correctly combines the angle, pressure, and rhythm, the clitoral stimulator maximizes the climax so that orgasm…-"

"Nananana….nananana….nanananana!" Quinn regressed to childish noises and plugging her ears to block out the rest of Rachel's explanation. She stopped when she noticed that Rachel was silently gaping at her.

"Rachel, that was a total _mood killer_. This is _not_ a science project!"

"Oh… of course not, Quinn, um… (_Snicker)_…I'm sorry…."

"… Snort!…"

"...giggle…"

…Peals of laughter…

Once the debate over the lube was finally settled they finally made it into Rachel's bed. Things heated up rather quickly after that. Rachel, who was just as impatient as ever, was squirming about, moaning and panting. She wanted Quinn to get on with the pleasing and forget about the teasing, so they may have rushed the next part just a little bit….

"...Ooooh…eek…um…Quinn! That is not the proper oriface!"

"Oh My God _Rachel!_ Did you just say _ORIFACE? Really?_

"Well, you _were_ poking it at the _wrong_ _hole,_ Quinn!"

"It _SLIPPED!_ I told you we were putting too much lube on!.."

Silence...

"…Snicker…"

(giggle)

...Peals of laughter…

Some little time later, after more fumbling, giggling, and no success at all, the girls just gave up.

"You know what Quinn?" Rachel asked rather distractedly as she was unclasping the buckles of Quinn's rhinestone studded harness.

"What Rach?"

"You know what I really want more than anything in the world, right now, right this moment?" Rachel finished her task and tossed the Golden dildo and its harness onto the floor. Her dark brown eyes scanned the length of Quinn's incredible body with a hunger that set the blonde aflame.

"What?" Was whispered so softly that Rachel almost didn't hear it.

"I want You Quinn. All of You. I want your mouth on my body and your fingers inside me. I want to feel every patch of your flawless skin rubbing and sliding, creating that friction that melts my bones and turns my skin to flames. I want you watching me as I come, and begging me to scream your name. I want to breathe you in, I want to feel your heartbeat racing as I take you over the edge, I want to crawl inside you, I want to kiss you for hours, I want to lick, and suck, and bite, I want to mark you as my own, I want your scent all over me, everywhere, all the time…that's all I ever want Quinn, that's all I ever need, sweetheart… just… you… and...-"

Rachel's words tapered off as Quinn silenced them with her lips. Rachel tasted the salt, she cherished the wet and warmth of the tears that trickled upon her face, mingling with her own. This was all they needed, all they would ever need.

_Besides, they had a whole lifetime to tr_y _new_ _things._

A whole lifetime.

Sometimes people just get lucky.

They find love in a crowded room with just a single glance.

Or, on the side of a hill in the middle of Winter with a smile and a wave.

It's the kind of love that just exists between people sometimes. Not the kind of love you have to work at most times with everyone else.

**The End.**

That's all Folks! This Looney Bin Trip is over.

_CraZy Rachel got the girl, she finished her Play, she didn't get dead in the process, and she collected a group of very patient, wonderfully loyal friends. Yay!_

_You're still here, and I absolutely love you all. Big Muah! xoxoxoxo to all of you. Thank you so much for sticking with this story for the almost two years it took me to complete it. Thank you for the generous feedback, astute advice, and tons of encouragement. :))))_

Where is the Love? lyrics belong to the Black Eyed Peas. No copyright infringement intended.

(*The Big Eden is a movie where an entire community gets involved in playing matchmaker for two of their beloved members, who happen to be gay.)


End file.
